FAMILY RESOURCES
AHCA NCAL Advocacy Center
Be an advocate for long term care. You can make a big difference in just 5 minutes. That's all it will take to learn the issues and send a letter to your elected officials. The actions of our government have an enormous impact so please educate yourself and take action. Visit the AHCA NCAL Advocacy Center to learn more about the issues and how you can help!
Consumer Tip Sheet
The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign recently released a Consumer Tip Sheet that provides 10 points to help nursing home residents and family members better understand important care issues and the significance of measuring resident and family satisfaction.
National Family Caregiver Support Program
The Resourses and Useful Links section provides information about The National Family Caregiver Support Program including support and assistance for family and services for caregivers.
CaringBridge
CaringBridge® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering free personalized Web sites to those wishing to stay in touch with family and friends during significant life events. CaringBridge authors quickly and easily create personalized Web sites that display journal entries and photographs. Well-wishers visit the site to read updates and leave messages in the Guestbook.
The Iowa Able Foundation
The Iowa Able Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps Iowans with disabilities, their families, and older Iowans obtain assistive technology and adaptive equipment they need to maintain and increase their independence. By providing low interest loans, their goal is to help Iowans increase their independence at home, at work, and in the community. For more information, click here.
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
National Clearinghouse for Long Term Care Information
The National Clearinghouse of Long Term Care Information website provides comprehensive information about long term care planning, services and financing options, along with tools to help people begin the planning process.
Administration on Aging: Older Americans Act resources
The Administration on Aging offers numerous services to older persons through programs funded under the Older Americans Act. This webpage provides a list of links to programs such as home-delivered meals programs or nutrition services in congregate settings, or transportation, adult day care, legal assistance or health promotion programs.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website for Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicare
The official U.S. Government site for people with Medicare.
Disability.gov
This federal government website provides an interactive, community-driven information network of disability-related programs, services, laws and benefits. Through the site, Americans with disabilities, their families, Veterans, educators, employers and many others are connected to thousands of resources from federal, state and local government agencies, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. New resources are added daily across 10 main subject areas – benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology and transportation.
Nursing Home Compare
Medicare’s site for detailed information about the performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.
Social Security Administration
The official website for information on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Veterans Administration
The official U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website with information on the programs and services offered by the U.S. Veterans Administration. Also see:
Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors - Veterans of the United States armed forces may be eligible for a broad range of programs and services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Iowa Department of Veterans' Affairs website for services and benefits available for veterans in Iowa.
SPECIAL NEEDS RESOURCES
Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s. They provide services to families and professionals, including information and referral, support groups, care consultation, education and safety services.
VOR
VOR is a national advocacy organization representing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Whether you are seeking services in a smaller setting or a licensed facility community, this site is dedicated to providing some background information to assist you on our journey, including information about licensed Medicaid facilities (ICFs/MR), Resource Links, Guardianship, Community Resource Centers, and more.
AGING RESOURCES
Fall prevention tips
The coming of winter heralds the coming of fracture season for the elderly, due to falls triggered by a combination of colder weather and shorter, darker days, say researchers. Fall prevention tips can be found at the following websites:
National Safety Council
National Council on Aging
Home Modification Resource Center
National Institute on Aging
Home Safety Council.
Ready.gov
Ready.gov is part of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation. The Ready.gov website provides tools and resources to promote emergency preparedness and encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.
Consumer Protection
The Private Right of Action consumer protection law went into effect on July 1, 2009. Iowa joined 49 other states in creating a private remedy for consumer fraud. The law is a very important tool for consumers who have been cheated by consumer fraud or deception. For more information see the Consumer Advisor Bulletin from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Report looks at value of LTC insurance
A Society of Actuaries report on planning for long term care (LTC) costs notes that LTC insurance is an important financing option for many people to protect against catastrophic costs, but not all. According to Taking the Long-Term Care Journey, LTC insurance is typically not attractive to people with low amounts of savings (for example, less than $250,000) because of the very real likelihood they will need to access Medicaid in the event of a significant care need. Those with significant wealth (say over $2 million) may feel comfortable self-insuring. However, the paper notes that these rules of thumb aren’t true for everyone and LTC financing decisions need to weigh several factors.