|
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
Member facilities and personnel of the Catholic Long Term Care Network
are frequently asked questions about care, financing,
living conditions, and health-related
assistance. We have compiled the answers to some of these questions.
If you have further concerns about such topics or other questions
that have not been addressed, please contact us. We would be happy
to discuss them with you.
Care
Q. Are CLTCN nursing facilities regulated and controlled?
A. Yes. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Health are all responsible for licensure and certification
of all CLTCN facilities. And many other agencies also routinely
visit and inspect the conditions and services offered by our facilities.
Q. What is meant by skilled nursing care?
A. Skilled care is professionally supervised nursing care
and other related medical and health services. Such care is provided
for people who are assessed as needing 24-hour nursing care, which
can only be met in a long-term care facility on an inpatient basis,
and who need the care because of illness, disease, or injury.
Q. What is meant by intermediate care?
A. Intermediate care is health-related care that requires
services under a plan of care and supervised licensed personnel,
but does not require hospital or skilled care on a regular basis.
It includes help with the activities of daily living, such as personal
hygiene, dressing, bathing, and eating. Intermediate care also provides
medication administration, routine care of minor lesions, preventive
skin care, and restorative nursing programs.
Q. What is meant by personal care?
A. Personal care provides 24-hour supervision in a pleasant
residential setting for those who require help with the activities
of daily living and medication supervision. In most of our facilities,
residents’ rooms can be decorated with favorite personal items.
The camaraderie residents find with their peers and other special
activities our facilities provide for our residents help to promote
a stimulating lifestyle.
Q. What procedures are followed in case hospital care
is required?
A. Our residents’ attending physicians are responsible
for determining if hospital care is required. In an emergency, facility
staff will arrange for transportation to the nearest emergency room.
Back
to top
Financing
Q. What is Medicare?
A. Medicare is a federal program that provides insurance
benefits for people over the age of 65 and for people with disabilities.
Medicare Part A covers hospital, nursing home, home health, and
hospice services. Medicare Part B (for which a monthly premium must
be paid) covers physician and medical services.
Medicare will pay for short-term care in a Medicare-certified skilled
nursing facility, short-term home health services, and hospice care.
Q. What is Medicaid?
A. Medicaid is a joint federal and state assistance program
that covers those who meet eligibility requirements based on income
and financial resources. To qualify for Medicaid if you are in a
nursing home, you must first “spend down” your assets
to a few thousand dollars (including bank accounts, IRAs, second
homes, and stocks and bonds).
Q. Does Medicare pay for long-term care?
A. Medicare can only be used as a source of payment for skilled
nursing care. Eligibility requirements are strictly defined by Medicare,
which will not cover intermediate or personal care.
Q. Must I turn over my money and possessions in order
to be cared for at a CLTCN facility?
A. At our facilities, residents are responsible only for
the care and services they receive. Whatever money and possessions
you have in addition to that remain yours.
Q. Do CLTCN facilities’ fees cover everything?
A. Generally, fees cover only the nursing care we provide
and do not reflect physician visits. A resident’s insurance
may cover such professional services. Please contact the Admissions
or Business Office of our member facilities to answer your specific
questions.
Q. What is “hospice”?
A. Hospice is a program that provides pain management and
supportive care for the terminally ill, in the home or as an inpatient.
Usually, services are covered by Medicare and include counseling,
education, and bereavement services.
Back
to top
Living Conditions
Q. Are CLTCN facilities open only to members of the Catholic
faith?
A. CLTCN facilities do not discriminate in providing their
services. Our doors are open to applicants regardless of race, color,
national origin, religion, gender, or disability.
Q. What are the visiting hours at CLTCN facilities?
A. Our facilities are always open to family and friends.
Q. How often is Mass held at CLTCN facilities and who
offers Mass there?
A. Each CLTCN facility establishes its own Mass schedule,
so please contact the staff at the specific location(s) you are
interested in.
Q. What is the ratio of staff to residents at CLTCN facilities?
A. Staff-to-resident ratios vary from facility to facility
in the CLTCN, and are dependent on time of day and the specific
care needs of the residents.
Q. What transportation services do CLTCN facilities provide?
A. Transportation services vary from facility to facility
in the CLTCN, ranging from their own transport buses to Access buses
and automobiles, so please contact the staff at the specific location(s)
you are interested in.
Back
to top
Health-related
Assistance
Q. How long do residents normally stay at CLTCN facilities?
A. The length of stay for residents is primarily determined
by their medical conditions. Stays that range from a few weeks to
many years are not uncommon. The nursing staffs at our facilities
routinely work with residents, their families, and their physicians
to determine the most appropriate length of stay.
Q. What is an advanced directive or living will?
A. An advanced directive, or living will, is a written set
of instructions, provided by a competent adult, that outlines the
types of life-prolonging treatment that person would choose if the
person were to become unable to make medical decisions. The living
will or advanced directive tells whether and when to begin, continue,
or withdraw life-sustaining treatment.
Q. What types of rehabilitation services do CLTCN facilities
provide?
A. CLTCN facilities provide the full range of rehabilitation
services — speech, occupational, and physical therapies.
Back
to top
|
