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In some communities, neighbors can be very helpful. If you live in a "neighborly" neighborhood, they could have a few different neighbors each check in on the person one day a week. Mr. Jones visits every Monday, Mrs. Smith comes for an hour on Tuesday, Mrs. Smith's high-school-senior daughter comes on Saturdays, etc. etc. That way no one will feel "burdened" and the whole community gets to come together to help someone in need.
They can make up a grocery list, maybe that high school kid could work on some self-sufficiency skills by learning how to cook nutritious meals and portion-control them in containers for the freezer. That way the person who's still recovering can just pop one container in the microwave for 2 minutes, take the lid off the single-serve salad container and dump a tablespoon of dressing on top of it, and his lunch is now ready.
One of our neighbors needed help while his wife was in the hospital for a few months. His daughter made a -month's- worth of food and portion controlled it all, in color-coordinated containers. Blue = entree, red = side, yellow = veggie, clear = dessert. One of each = dinner, and only the blue and red had to be nuked. Yellow and clear were ready to eat.
Can have someone check his meds and put them in med cases that have the days imprinted on them. Can even set his alarm clock for him on his ipad or laptop or cellphone, to remind him when it's time to take a dose.
Lots of things neighbors can do, you just have to reach out to them.
That takes quite a commitment from neighbors to do that long term. Most people really don't want to be bothered. They are dealing with their own problems in this crisis. It'd be nice, I agree, but not practical.
As I said in my rep comment, they go into a nursing home via a social worker and hopefully when they die someone will bury them but they could lay unclaimed and buried in a potters field. It's very sad.
Normally a social worker starts the process then files a case in the court to have someone appointed to watch out for his needs, they'll also look into whether he has any type of family. They'll find out if he owns or rents the house. Unfortunately, he slipped through the system when they discharged him before he should have been.
I didn't know this was an actual person near you. Do you know his age? I assume he's over 65 since he's probably got Medicare.
Are neighbors willing to help him? Since a few of you are concerned, someone should go knock on his door to say a bunch of you want to help him with whatever he needs.
Agree, someone should make the phone call to get a social worker over there to assess his situation, set up meals on wheels or the social worker can help get him into some sort of rehab or into a nursing home. Then the state can eventually take over to where they sell his house, use that to pay for nursing home and then they apply for medicaid if needed.
Thanks much for the rep. Back at ya. I don't know him personally. I'm getting this by way of someone who does, but what they are doing I'm not sure. Lots of good advice in your post. I'll try to pass many of these suggestions on to this acquaintance.
I think he may find staying in a moderately priced hotel with housekeeping and available food delivery to be the best solution for the short term, and more affordable than a nursing home or assisted living, unless either of those are highly subsidized.
Thanks much for the rep. Back at ya. I don't know him personally. I'm getting this by way of someone who does, but what they are doing I'm not sure. Lots of good advice in your post. I'll try to pass many of these suggestions on to this acquaintance.
Thanks and you're welcome.
That's the best option to get him help without him knowing who actually called. They won't tell him if the person wants to be anonymous. Hopefully they will do something unlike a social worker I spoke to who in the end sent my elderly neighbor back home. He drove and totaled his car a 3rd time until one of the neighbors complained to DMV, they took his license. He failed the written test I believe twice. He then passed away without trying the license a last time. He was like 87 with no family except a nice who couldn't stand him. He stayed with me 3 weeks after a fall.
If not mentioned, a social worker who works for the county can be contacted and will visit an ill person who is in a short-term rehab facility or in one's apartment or personal home to assist with applying for county, state, and federal monetary benefits (and other benefits) by filling out applications and providing information. Contact the county department of human services to ask that a social worker visit.
As I previously mentioned, home aides or home health aides can be provided by providing agencies who will visit on a weekly or daily schedule to assist with home tasks in one's apartment or home. One can find these under HOME CARE on the web. One provider agency is https://www.visitingangels.com - but there are usually many more in one's specific locale, depending if one is rural or urban.
I mean what if they are really all alone in this world. No spouse, no children, no relatives nearby that they are close to and no friends? If they are very sick confined to bed as a long hauler and have already been to the hospital and discharged and they cannot take care of themselves post-hospitalization what do they do?
Extended care facility or 24 hour home nursing are the only choices at this time
I mean what if they are really all alone in this world. No spouse, no children, no relatives nearby that they are close to and no friends? If they are very sick confined to bed as a long hauler and have already been to the hospital and discharged and they cannot take care of themselves post-hospitalization what do they do?
They would hire help. A home heath aide. Can be covered by medical insurance, short term disability, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.
If he has Medicare, they will pay for a period in a nursing home/rehab facility. It has nothing to do with his house or his car or any other belongings.
After a certain period, there is a co-pay involved - pretty salty - like $130+ a day. But if he rehabs, (they have PTs, OTs daily) he may regain enough strength to be able to return home. At that point, he might get by with a home health aide for a time until he's fully functioning again.
The thing is, for Medicare (Not Medical Assistance aka Medicaid) to pay for a rehab facility, the patient needs to be admitted from a hospital stay. That why the hospital should have had someone - a social worker - help to make those arrangements. Everyone is so overwhelmed that it may be that the patient was counseled but didn't understand what was happening. Or there was no bed available in a facility due to the number of cases caused by this pandemic.
Worst case, he runs out of money and then applies for Medical Assistance aka Medicaid. If it looks like he's going to recover sufficiently to go home, they will put a lien against his home but they won't sell it out from under him. When he no longer is capable of living in the home, it will have to be sold to repay Medical Assistance aka Medicaid. In this scenario, if he has any assets, they will have to be sold before Medical Assistance aka Medicaid will kick in. His bank account, his boat, any expensive stuff. Unless he's driving some big expensive car, he'll probably be able to keep it for when he's discharged. But he will have to spend down to qualify. His Social Security check, once he's on Medical Assistance aka Medicare, will be signed over to the nursing home/rehab facility. They'll give him a small stipend for personal items such as toiletries.
It is indeed sad for those who have no family or friends who can help. And the professionals whose job this is are just pushed over the edge themselves with how many cases they're handling.
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