Seniors
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM Wednesday, August 4, 2021
PACE Program: Helping Elders Remain In Own Home Instead of Nursing Home Q. My husband has become frail, and his doctor says he may need to go into a nursing home. However, neither of us is happy with that plan. I want to keep him home. Is there a program that might help us? By Gene L. Osofsky, Esq. SPECIAL TO THE FORUM
A. Yes. The “Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly” (“PACE”) may be just the ticket. The PACE program has been designed to help frail elders live independently as long as possible in their own home, which is exactly what both of you desire. It is designed for those elders who would otherwise be at risk of nursing home placement. Here’s how it works: several times each week PACE would pick him up at home in a specially designed van and transport him to a local community health center where he would receive all medical care, rehabilitation therapy, social services, recreation, socialization and hot meals with other seniors. At the end of the day, he would be transported back home to be with you. It would also provide some in-home care services to assist him with his needs at home, and thus help relieve the burden upon you. To be eligible for the program, one must be at least 55 years of age, have medical problems which require ongoing care, but yet be able to live at home safely (perhaps, with a spouse or other care person to assist), as determined by the evaluation team. The level of care is designed to be comparable to the care received in a nursing facility. The senior must also live in a service area covered by the PACE program and, fortu-
SENIOR NEWS LINE
Seniors, Beware Of These Scams By Matilda Charles
tracers that ask for personal information and Social SecuSPECIAL TO THE FORUM rity numbers. Hang up if they call you. Most scams keep repeating year after year. After all, A big problem is that often the scammers are making big we don’t report the scams. money doing those Nigerian We’re embarrassed, or we’re grandson/auto-warranty scams, afraid the scammers will reso why would they drop them? taliate, or we just don’t know However, new ones keep pop- where to report it. If nothing ping up. else, you can call the police. If you shop online, beware If the scam happened on the of acci- dentally typing in the Internet, contact the FBI’s wrong name. Scammers have Inter- net Crime Complaint Center (www. ic3.gov). The created websites with actual center has logged over 6 milinformation from real store lion complaint calls — a big websites, but with a slightly different name. If you shop at por- tion from those over age 60. a fake store and put in your credit card, the scammers will Scammers are everywhere, have immediate access to it. and it’s up to us to stop them in their tracks by being wary If you learned how to do of phone calls, emails and the PROGRAM FOR ALL INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY: The PACE program Zoom or other online conferinternet. provides some in-home care services to assist with patients’ needs at home, and ences to talk to your family, thus helping relieve the burden upon family or spouse. beware any emails or mes© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc. sages you get about your nately, you probably do if you monthly co-pay, or none at all. personal care as well as some Zoom. Scammers have set up thousands of Zoom-related reside in the Bay Area. The PACE program would housekeeping, shopping, internet links for the sole Once your husband joins also work if one or both of you meals, and the like. the PACE program, all medi- lived in an Assisted-Living To learn more about PACE, purpose of getting you to Living Trusts & Facility, although it would then contact the Center for Elder’s click on one they send you. cal care will be provided by Trust Administration only cover medical costs but the PACE program, which Independence at 844-319-1150 The instant you do, malware not room and board. unfortunately means that he or visit on line www.cei.elders. (malicious software) is loaded Probate • Wills into your computer. From that will have to give up his own Also, if one of you needed org, or www.pace4u.org. Real Estate • Litigation point all your personal data is physicians and, instead, begin PACE services and the other For hotlinks to more PACE at risk. Ignore those emails or seeing the physicians at the did not, the good news is that resources visit our website. — Give Us a Call — messages. If there’s a problem PACE facility. However, the To learn more about protectthe Medi-Cal law – which Most Initial Consultations with your Zoom, go straight good news is that the PACE includes provisions designed to ing assets under the Spousal Are Free program provides a team of avoid Spousal Impoverishment Impoverishment Laws, contact to the Zoom site and check it (510) 357-3403 from there. doctors, nurses, social workan Elder Law Attorney. – would help protect savings 1883 East 14th Street ers, personal care attendants and household income for the Gene L. Osofsky is an elder In a sign of the times, there San Leandro and dietitians who would be “well spouse”. are fake COVID contact law and estate planning atresponsible for all of his care, PACE enrollment can also torney in the East Bay. Visit his and all of that care would be website at www.LawyerForSwork for a single senior, as centralized at the PACE Center the in-home services include eniors.com. and supplemented by in-home and referral services. Thinking About a Reverse In the event your husband needed hospitalization, even Mortgage but Unsure How expensive surgery, PACE They Work? would pay for that without adCALL TODAY TO GET THE RELIABLE ditional cost. INFORMATION YOU DESERVE! PACE is primarily paid for If you are 62 or older, and qualify, by Medi-Cal and Medicare, a reverse mortgage may be able to Servin and most participants are covprovide you with greater financial the Bay A g ered by one or both programs rea! peace of mind and increase your and have either a modest flat monthly cashflow by:
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8/3/21 12:14 PM
