Helping Families Make Informed Decisions About Senior Care The West Virginia Health Care Association launched a new consumer website, WVSeniorCare.com, that provides information about senior care services available throughout the entire state. It is a FREE resource. The Association provides education for long term care professionals and keeps member nursing homes and assisted living communities informed of long term care issues at the state and federal levels. Our facility is a member of the Association. The Association developed the website to provide seniors and their families with one place to go for information. Helping Families Make Informed Decisions About Senior Care

3 Questions Seniors Want to Know Who can help me stay at home? Which health care facility is best for me? Where can I get help paying for my medicine? This simple, easy to use website answers many questions, including three questions that most seniors or their family members want to know: What services are available to help me continue living at home? Which health care facility will best meet my needs? And Where can I get help paying for my medications? Many people don’t know where to begin when researching information about senior care services and usually they’re pressed to make a decision about additional help or care needed. If you have an aging loved one and notice a change in behavior or realize they’re not taking care of themselves, then you may want to begin a conversation now about what their preferences are when they can no longer care for themselves. Include them in the discussion! We highly recommended that you research all of the options available to you and ensure that the service or facility will best meet your needs or the needs of your loved ones. WVSeniorCare.com is a great resource!

WVSeniorCare.com is simple to navigate and the information is easy to understand. The website features three categories. First, in-home services. This category includes information about services that can be provided in your home. The next category includes information about Health Care Facilities & Communities in WV. And the third category features pharmacies and medical equipment and the products and services provided. We will take a closer look at each category in the next several slides. It is important to note that this website offers a search feature whereby you can select the service you are looking for and choose your county or city. Once you select search now, a listing of the businesses will be provided for that area.

In-Home Services Care and Services (non-medical) Caregiver Support Home Health Agencies (medical) Hospice at home Meals Brought to Your Home Medicaid In-Home Programs Transportation Let’s take a look at the first category: In-Home Services. This section includes information for someone who lives at home who might need a little assistance whether it’s taking their medications, needing a break from caring for a loved one, or having a well-balanced meal delivered to their home. Services listed include: Non-medical care and services- non-medical services are agencies that provide assistance with household chores Caregiver support Home health agencies that provide medical services Hospice services provided in the home Meals brought to your home Medicaid in-home programs Transportation services available in your community

Health Care Facilities & Communities Assisted Living Communities Continuing Care Retirement Communities End Stage Renal Dialysis Hospice in Facilities Hospitals Independent Living Communities Nursing Homes Residential Care Communities The next category is Health Care Facilities & Communities. This section includes a brief description of assisted living, continuing care retirement communities, end stage renal dialysis, hospice in facilities, hospitals, independent living, nursing homes, and residential care communities. Each section includes a description of the services offered and the payment options. The description of services will help you determine the place that might best meet your needs. We encourage you to contact a facility, ask about the specific services available and visit the community or facility before making a decision.

Pharmacies & Medical Equipment Pharmacies and Medical Equipment companies provide an important senior care service in the community. This category is helpful to someone looking for the local pharmacies available in their area and the closest medical equipment company that sells wheelchairs, canes, walkers, and other products and services. Keep in mind that the search feature may be used throughout the website to locate companies within each category.

I want to share a few examples of the information you can find under each category listed on the website. It’s important to share that taking time to thoroughly review each section will help you feel better about making an informed decision. Let’s start with the first category, in-home services. (Point to the 3 categories on the website and indicate where in-home services is located.)

Alzheimer's Patient at Home Under the in-home services category, you will find a section named caregiver support. This section includes valuable information for someone who might be caring for a loved one or a friend with Alzheimer’s at home. Some questions might be: Where can the caregiver go for counseling? Is a caregiver support group available? Can the caregiver find someone to relieve them in order to take a break from the demands of caregiving? Answers to these questions and more are available to help you if you are caring for a loved one at home. Under this section you will also find information about the FAIR Program.

FAIR Program The Family Alzheimer’s In-Home Respite Program, also known as the FAIR Program, focuses on the caregiver who is caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia at home. The program gives caregivers a chance to take a break from their caregiver duties. Eligibility criteria and payment options are included in this section, as well as a link to locate detailed information about the FAIR program. A list of other caregiver support associations and websites are also provided.

Need A Little Assistance? Under the second category, Health Care Facilities and Communities, you will find information about Assisted Living. Maybe you or your loved one prefer not to live alone and would be more comfortable having a little more assistance. Having your meals prepared and access to housekeeping and transportation services may be beneficial to you. A list of assisted living communities, including a brief description of the services offered, are available under the health care facilities and communities category. Information about nursing homes is also available in this section.

Facility Checklist Another valuable resource on the website is a list of questions you might want to ask before choosing an assisted living community, such as: Are the rooms furnished or can I bring my own furniture? How many of my personal belongings can I bring? Are pets allowed? A list of questions to consider before choosing a nursing home or home health agency are also available. For example: You may decide to have someone come into your home to assist you with daily chores, such as housekeeping, preparing meals, or taking you to doctor’s appointments. A list of questions are available for you to ask the home health care agencies about their staff members. Such as: Are background checks conducted on each employee? Does the same person come to my house each week? Whom should I call if the staff person does not show up? A checklist is available for you to print and either take with you when visiting a nursing facility or to make notes on during a phone conversation with a home health agency representative. Do your research in advance and you’ll feel better about your decision.

Pharmacies Under the Pharmacies and Medical equipment category you will find helpful information related to pharmacies, including the different payment options that may be available depending on the individual’s situation and the drug assistance programs available for seniors.

Under the Government Resources section you will find contact information for: Adult Protective Services The Attorney General The WV Bureau for Medical Services And a direct link to learn more about applying for WV Medicaid

Support Groups include a listing of several organizations with a brief description and contact information. A few organizations listed include AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association.

Questions? www.WVSeniorCare.com Reach out to someone you know who might be needing answers to questions about senior care and share our website with them. (Share a personal example of people searching for help when caring for their senior family members.) Caring for a loved one is difficult. Finding the answers is easy. Visit WVSeniorCare.com