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I want to leave the nursing home after being here for 2 years after a fall. I am able to walk across the room with help and want to go home. The nursing home says I need 24/7 care and of course the doctor agrees with them. They have even refused to let me have home health care as well as nurses visits, therapy etc. which Medicare provides.
I want to leave the nursing home after being here for 2 years after a fall. I am able to walk across the room with help and want to go home. The nursing home says I need 24/7 care and of course the doctor agrees with them. They have even refused to let me have home health care as well as nurses visits, therapy etc. which Medicare provides.
Clearly they are protecting their own interests. I would contact an elder care attorney. Do you own your home? Do you have family which can assist you at home? Another suggestion---you might want to keep a journal of exactly what they do for you, and amount of time spent. Don't let them know you are doing so! Write down every time they provide you with assistance, and how much time is spent in a given day. You may realize there's more they provide than you realize, which you couldn't manage on your own. However, you might also be able to document they really aren't doing anything you couldn't do. I find most nursing homes are just money-grabs, and don't really do much for the residents, other than charge them!
If you feel you can live on your own, investigate it! Don't let them crush your spirit!
They cannot force you to stay there against your will. However, if you were to leave ‘AMA’ (against medical advice); Medicare can decline to pay on claims filed for services.
If you need assistance to ambulate across a room; what would your plans for home health be? What about using the restroom or bathing? Meal preparation? Are there stairs in your house? I don’t blame you for wanting to go home but if you don’t plan wisely; you could wind up back in there quickly & for good.
Clearly they are protecting their own interests. I would contact an elder care attorney. Do you own your home? Do you have family which can assist you at home? Another suggestion---you might want to keep a journal of exactly what they do for you, and amount of time spent. Don't let them know you are doing so! Write down every time they provide you with assistance, and how much time is spent in a given day. You may realize there's more they provide than you realize, which you couldn't manage on your own. However, you might also be able to document they really aren't doing anything you couldn't do. I find most nursing homes are just money-grabs, and don't really do much for the residents, other than charge them!
If you feel you can live on your own, investigate it! Don't let them crush your spirit!
I agree, keep a journal of all they do. That could be a big help if you do contact an elder care attorney. Do you have a LTC policy? Some policies may pay towards in-home care, you would have to check with the company.
All of that is important because Medicare only covers home health nurse/aide/therapy for a limited time. My mom is in her last couple weeks of home health since going on it April 5th. We will then private pay an aide to come once a week to shower her. Her PT ends on Friday and I will find out tomorrow when the nurse will make her last visit.
Medicare only covers 20 days in a nursing facility, after 3 days in a hospital. Unless you are on Tricare, as my mom was, Tricare would cover days 21-100. My mom was in for rehab after a 5 day hospital stay. And if you are in for rehab, if you don't or won't do the therapy, they will put you on private pay.
If you have been there 2 years, are you on Medicaid or private pay?
I want to leave the nursing home after being here for 2 years after a fall. I am able to walk across the room with help and want to go home. The nursing home says I need 24/7 care and of course the doctor agrees with them. They have even refused to let me have home health care as well as nurses visits, therapy etc. which Medicare provides.
Is your family at home? Did you own the home, and have property taxes etc continues to be paid and the home maintained? If you’ve been there two years, are you wealthy enough to have been private paying all this time? Are you quite sure your home was not sold and you’re on Medicaid? Do you have psych diagnoses or just physical? What led to your being there in the first place? Does anyone have power of attorney for you?
But if you need help to walk across a room, is there someone in your home to provide that help? Will they be there 24/7? Will they be able to assist you with all the activities of daily living - showering, using the toilet, dressing, shopping and preparing and serving meals, cleaning, and so on.
They cannot force you to stay there against your will. However, if you were to leave ‘AMA’ (against medical advice); Medicare can decline to pay on claims filed for services.
This is not true. The hospitals will tell you it's true, but Medicare will pay for necessary medical treatment. Period. DH had a serious fall 2 years ago on a Friday (compression fracture of 2 vertebrae). He went to the ER, was admitted to the hospital and they were about to operate when the doc looked at his bloodwork and was concerned he might have an infection. (DH's bloodwork results were flaky at that point because he had polycythemia, which we knew about.) It became clear that all they were going to do was keep him all weekend, doing nothing but sending in a succession of people to talk to him (ka-ching!). He wasn't a complainer but he said the place was noisy, the bed was uncomfortable and the food unpalatable. He left on Saturday AMA. Eventually the surgery was done on an outpatient basis. We never saw a dime in bills, either for the hospital stay or the surgery.
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