I'm somewhat accustomed to using my persistence and my force of personality to get things done. However I couldn't have pulled off what we did in less than 10 days without "Team Nords" guiding me through the jungle. Here's a recap:Talking to geriatric care managers is something that I could / should do.
Thanks
I found an Oahu geriatric care manager who referred me to two of them in Dad's town. I called them both, explained the situation, and asked them if they could stand by for emergency calls or other referrals. Both agreed and didn't even ask for money up front-- apparently they usually get this call as a crisis in progress so they were quite happy to have the information ahead of time.
When Dad ended up in the hospital ER, I called one of those two care managers in his town. She checked in with the ICU to see if they needed anything before we arrived. When I flew in, she helped us talk Dad through the "You can't go home yet" conversation, and found us a geriatric care manager in the city where he ended up. (At one point she even found us a lawyer on a Sunday afternoon to discuss the finer points of POAs and guardianship. Try doing that in a strange town before Monday morning.) The two care managers worked with the hospital's discharge coordinator to find a skilled nursing facility in the city (which otherwise would have been random calls from the phone book and Internet listings), and then the city care manager made sure that the facility was really no-foolin' ready to take care of Dad as soon as we arrived from the 250-mile drive. I was in no mood to be met with "Oh, you know what Mr. Nords, we need another day or two..."
Then the city care manager found us a new lawyer for guardianship (we'd crossed lines into a new county with new rules). He's also tracking down a neurologist in case we need to have a full-blown neurophysical assessment done to persuade the long-term care insurance company to approve the claim. If Dad ends up wandering or bolting with his Alzheimer's symptoms then the care manager will help us find a facility with a (locked-door) memory-care unit.
The town care manager has also helped with Dad's apartment cleanout (a housecleaner and a carpet cleaner). She earned every penny of her $800 of hourly help/advice.
The city care manager has only charged $200 so far, although we probably owe him another $100 or so for the neurologist referral. The town lawyer was "only" $200, and we've spent another $1850 on the city lawyer to process the guardianship/conservatorship petitions. We're also spending $2000-$2500 for a psychologist to affirm that Dad's incapable of handling his affairs (for the court petition) which may also come in handy for the LTC insurance claim. If the neurologist is needed then I'm sure that'll be at least $2500.
The lawyer probably has another $1000-$2000 ahead of her, including coordinating a court appearance where my brother will show up in person and I'll teleconference in. I'll stay in touch with the care manager as long as Dad is alive, and in touch with the lawyer for the inevitable probate.
Thousands of dollars to find someone who knows the town/city, how the system works, which people to call, and what their vocabulary means. Peace of mind = priceless.
It's amazing what can be done with a touch-screen laptop, a wireless network, various (non-video) sensors, a wireless blood-pressure cuff and other computerized medical equipment, an alarm button or an alarm bracelet, and a website for everyone to coordinate.Could you tell me more about the alarm button?
EDIT: Feh, forgot the link: http://ihealthhome.net/?page_id=282
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