Colorado Senior Care Community Licencing

Assisted living and retirement communities are not regulated by the federal government, so each state has different rules for senior housing. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environmental Health Facilities Division divides senior care centers into six categories.

Shorter term senior care facilities are called Adult Day Programs, which take care of seniors health, social, and psychological services. Adult day care can be used as an alternative to long term assisted living. Instead of the patient living on site, they just use the site's facilities and services.

Assisted living residences is the name Colorado gives to assisted living communities that give seniors their own place, with common assistance services like bathing and dressing assistance as well as medication reminders. Colorado Springs retirement communities are often of the assisted living variety. These are popular with seniors because they get independence with help where they need it. Other common services include organizing community activities, a safe environment and food services.

Home care is also defined by the Health Facilities Division. Medicaid waivers may provide for personal home care as an alternative to Colorado Springs retirement communities. The homemaker provides services that the senior cannot do themselves. Like bathing or assistance getting around. These are non-skilled services that do not require a licensed medical practitioner. Colorado does require them to take 20 hours of training, but this is nowhere near the level of care available in Colorado springs retirement communities.

Home health agencies are the home care that comes from medical professionals. It could be to help someone recovering from an illness, or a senior requiring regular medical care. They provide skilled services like therapy.

Hospice is for terminally ill patients. Colorado law requires individuals entered into hospice to be under a doctor's care. The aim of hospice is to provide supportive a palliative care to try and give some symptom relief. Hospice services can be given both in home and in a licensed facility.

The last regulatory definition under Colorado senior care is the Nursing Home. These are for patients requiring continued medical care. They provide long term care as well as short term rehab services. Some nursing care facilities have special departments for those suffering from specific problems like dementia.

Paying for assisted living

Read the fine print on your insurance carefully. Assisted living is not a benefit paid out by many insurance policies. Because the costs for assisted living usually need to be paid from private funds, it can be hard to secure the correct finances, especially for those who need an advanced level of care.

Medicare can be the first line of defense for people trying to pay health expenses. However, many people incorrectly believe that Medicare will cover long-term expenses. In reality, Medicare only covers hospital stay from acute medical conditions. The program is run by the Health Care Financing Administration, and only covers people who are at least 65, or are permanently disabled. Colorado springs retirement communities are often not covered because they do not provide the level of care required to activate Medicare benefits.

The one case where Medicare will pay is only for entrance into a Skilled Nursing Community as recommended by a doctor. The patient must have been hospitalized for at least 3 days in a row before the entry into the Skilled nursing community. The person then has to enter the Colorado Springs retirement communities within 30 days of the hospital visit, and it has to be to treat the same condition they were entered into the hospital for. Medicare pays fully for the first 20 days in a skilled nursing community and partially up to 100 days.

Medicaid is a government insurance program run by cooperation between federal and state government. It usually has more benefits, but these benefits vary by state. Colorado Springs retirement communities often accept Medicare at first, then Medicaid when the original benefits run out.

Private insurance largely depends on the plan. As of this time, there are very little government regulations on private insurance, so if you want long term assisted living to be covered, make sure you buy a policy that specifically states it will cover such instances. Then check the situations where benefits will occur. Some diseases like Alzheimer's require care without hospitalization, but many insurance policies will only cover care after hospitalization.

Once your loved one enters a nursing home or retirement community, you will probably not be able to buy any kind of nursing care insurance. So insure that the coverage starts as soon as the person has been admitted. As a stop-gap measure, you may qualify for Medigap supplemental insurance, however, like Medicare, Medigap is only designed for short term care.

Tips for deciding on an assisted living community

Moving into an assisted living community is a big change in life. The emotions involved can lead people to make hasty decisions, but there is a great degree of difference between retirement communities and the levels of care they provide.

The pricing structures can also vary greatly. The first thing you should do when visiting Colorado springs assisted living communities is to ask a lot of questions. Just like anything new, you should be as informed as possible going into the process, especially when it comes to how they will be using the money spent on care. You ask about entrance fees, income requirements and any other charges for all levels of care. Remember that in general, insurance and government pensions do not cover Colorado Springs retirement community costs.

Most Colorado Springs assisted living communities have entrance fees as well as different pricing levels. The fees from some services may be included, or charged in a per use basis depending on the retirement community. So you will want to ask what services are included, who decides when what services are needed, and how much notice they will give you when moving into another bracket. No question is silly: after asking about meals and healthcare, ask if there are any other charges you have not thought about.

Another important consideration is touring the complete care package, from independent living to long term assisted living. Good Colorado Springs assisted living employees should know all the retiree's names and treat everyone respectfully. Assisted living sites should also have some sort of medical practitioner on site at all times. Knowing all levels of care is important, but some people can be put-off seeing advanced assisted living when they do not yet need it.

A final step in ensuring that a retirement community will be a happy place is to check on the social and recreational opportunities available. Look at the calendar to see what kind of events take place. Does the community offer religious services? Fun activities include group outings, interest clubs and dining opportunities. A tour is always a good idea, where you can sample the food, events and living facilities. Most important is finding a good match between what your loved one is used to and expects, and what kinds of activities are available.