We are heading into the season when many of us start thinking about gifts for the people we care about. Giving a gift is a loving gesture. The best gifts are those people treasure long after they are unwrapped and ones that have meaning and purpose.
If you have friends or family that are older or that have significant disabilities you may be at a loss for a great gift idea. Sometimes it is hard to come up with that perfect gift that is useable and meaningful. Let us help you think out of the box and skip the same old knick knacks and aftershave collections! How much of that stuff can one house hold? Download our list of FUNctional Gift Ideas from A-Z. You will find ideas that are useful, some that are fun, some that you can buy, and some that you can make. Get busy, Give the Gift of Independence and Safety to someone you love today!
No one who needs residential access or equipment for daily living is exactly like anyone else and doesn’t live in a home that is exactly like anyone else’s. How much sense does it make to assume that the same access equipment or modification that works for one person is going to work for everyone? It doesn’t. so Why do we repeatedly hear stories such as a family getting a ceiling track lift for a growing 3 year old and ending up with a sling for a small adult. Worse yet, the whole point of the lift system was to assist with toilet training, but the sling provided was a full body sling. That means it had no toilet hole. A system designed to last for years, costing the agency funding it thousands of dollars and it doesn’t work for the family at all because the company selling it took the one size fits all approach. As it turns out, the company providing the winning, lowest bid had not even been to the home.
Access is a personal thing. It is an adaptation that matches a person’s goals, skills, size, medical condition, developmental status, environment, and preferences. When you need residential access find a building professional or designer who understands this concept. They also need to know something both about construction and disability or aging. One place to look is at the National Association of Home Builder’s website for a professional with a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) designation. http://www.nahb.org/directory.aspx?directoryID=188 Avoid working with designers or contractors who try to blindly apply American With Disability Act Guidelines to residential situations. ADAAG are a good starting place and have to be used if they’ve been incorporated into your area’s building code, but they weren’t designed with your personal situation at home in mind.
If equipment is recommended, make every effort to try it yourself if possible. If demo equipment isn’t available, learn enough about the equipment to know how it works and what you need to be able to do to operate it. Work with a knowledgeable salesperson who knows the equipment and is willing to take the time to evaluate your skills and environment. He or she can at least help you simulate using the equipment and can help you understand how the equipment is going to work in your home.
You are unique, your home is unique, your situation is unique. How can one size fits all fit your needs? It probably won’t. Take the time to match your home modification and equipment to your unique situation. Then you will have a solution that will work. Download our short guide to help you start the planning process.
Review your Medicare drug plan annually – especially on years like this, when there are changes in what is available.
Home Access Solutions, Inc. works with designs and equipment that help people live independently at home. We usually don’t have anything to do with drugs, but we work with, and know, people who rely on prescriptions for their health and well being. Many of those people use Medicare for their prescription coverage. I recently attended an educational forum and learned some interesting things about the Medicare Drug Plan. Some of those things frightened me a little because I know that so many people, who need medication, run the risk of poor coverage or interrupted coverage. I just had to do my part to to help educate people at risk.
To learn more, I visited the wonderful folks at Volunteers Assisting Seniors (402) 444-6614. They are part of Nebraska’s State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) and offer free personalized health insurance counseling.
They provided me with the following information about why Seniors should review their drug plan every year and information about some of the changes we can expect this year.
“Each year, Medicare drug plans change and your medication needs can change. It’s not uncommon for drug plans to change their premiums, the drugs they cover on their formularies and the pricing on drugs. It’s important to review and compare plans to make sure that you will have a plan for 2011 that will offer the best pricing and coverage for your specific medication needs. The best way to do this is to compare the plans that will be available in your area. To do a comparison, you would make a list of your drugs, the dosages and the amounts you take as well as your pharmacy of choice and then use the drug comparison tool on Medicare’s website to compare plans. You should look for the overall annual cost for the plan, if all of your medications are on the plans formulary, if there are any restrictions, such as quantity limits or prior authorizations and if your pharmacy of choice will accept the plan.
In 2011, there are 15 drug plans that will no longer be available. If you had one of these plans in 2010, you will need to find a new plan for 2011, as your coverage will end Dec. 31st. Notification of loss of coverage should be sent to beneficiaries in October. You will be able to find a new plan during the open enrollment period so that it will be effective on January 1 and you will not have any lapse in coverage. If a beneficiary does not find a new plan during the open enrollment period, Medicare will give them a “Special Enrollment Period” of one month (January) to enroll in a new plan. Coverage will not be effective until Feb 1, which means a beneficiary has the potential to be without coverage during January.”
If you want some information about what do do, one source of information is the 2011 Medicare handbook: http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf . However, if you prefer to work with people who have already read the manual and have the training to decipher it, you have other options. You can contact Volunteers Assisting Seniors (402) 444-6614. to schedule an appointment with a trained volunteer who help you use the Medicare.gov website, help you with a drug comparison, and help with enrolling you in a new plan, if you find one that will better meet your needs in 2011.
You can also attend one of the several local events Volunteers assisting Seniors have planned. The Southwest 8 Area Aging on Aging and the Iowa SHIIP program also have some local events. I’ve attached both lists for you. OmahaCouncil Bluffs If you don’t live in either of these areas, you can go to www.shiptalk.org to find your local SHIPS office.
The open enrollment period is November 15 through December 31. It is just around the corner. We at Home Access Solutions hope that if you use Medicare, you will take steps to help yourself. If you know people who use Medicare for prescription benefits, please make sure they know what they should do.
