 |
 |
Afternoon. Waiver medicaid program in Ohio is for medically fragile ill people. It is extremely difficult to find an agency that lets the aide drive the ill person's vehicle. You may be wondering why a person who cant drive has a car? Or how can they afford a car?? The point is that most ill people under 65 don't qualify for senior services (i.e. van services) and the ill person needs a vehicle to get to the docs. As for banking, You do not want the HHA to take u to the bank. As for social activities... this is a dilemma for many because people need socialization and unfortunately society doesn't value it enough to want their tax dollars to go for the activities hours with the HHA doing the transporting. Society doesn't acknowledge or see that socialization is vitally important for the total health of a human being. It is cheaper to place a person in adult day care than it is to pay the HHA for that day. $61. -85. for adult day care verses HHA at 12.55 per hour. Also, if the HHA calls off the patient is without care. Some patients would be in grave danger if not one was there to assist them. The solutions always sound so logical and easy, but they are not. If u don't live on a bus line the HHA can not get to ur home because 76% don't drive OR they want gas money to drive to the patient's home. It is illegal to pay someone to drive to work. The worker can get gas mileage between patients homes , but not from their home to the patient home. I hope that makes sense. I don't think many here understand the dilemma of a young person needing care and their strong desire to stay at home with their kids and their spouse. The state wants me to go to adult daycare. Now the day care can't take me cause they are full. They have a beautiful pool, play poker, shoot pool, have a fitness room, ect. tons of stuff to do. Major problem is the group I would be with patients who have been diagnosed with dementia, multiple strokes, and Alzheimer's. I would have less socialization being there. I think about what Ivan, for example, is going thru. I remember I went thru the same thing only at the time I was totally dependent and bedridden. At the present time, I have been without an aide since approx. Oct. A RN was kind enough to work for HHA wages as oppose to her RN wages. I have faith that this will change and a new aide will come along. N.H. -If u don't want to go to a N.H. don't. go. If u are able to drive, bath urself and dress urself, then u won't qualify most likely anyway. There is a waiting list at many of these places. Even if a person can pay out of pocket for a HHA, they many times call off. The HHA is not there to be a companion. They are there to assist with laundry, bathing, food prep, ur bathroom upkeep, transferring the patient, meds reminders, ect. Companions are available , but they are not state funded. I am not saying that the patient and the aide won't develop a friendship, but they have too much to do to sit and chat. I wish they did have time. Most people on the medicaid program get approx. 6 to 20 hours a week. The elders on Passport - even less hours a week. Yearly the patient goes thru a reevaluation of the amount of care they need and their medical spendown. They have times for all the ADL's that the aides assist with. They decide with medical team what the patient can do independently, need assistance, and totally dependent on someone to do the skill for the patient. They look at if the patient has family to help the patient. HHA are approx 4 k a month, meds 1200. a month, hospital costs, PT., OT. The costs are staggering. The govt. can't afford that. I guess the debate goes back to value of an ill person. Do u make their live enjoyable at the onset or in the severe stages?? Do u give DBS to a PD'er at the beginning of their illness or do u wait til they are so stiff they won't walk much longer?? When funding is cut or there is not enough dollars, the govt. ends up thinking about what to cut. Ivan M Suzman wrote: > > Dear Mary and PIEN subscribers, > > I had two off-periods while called as a Witness , in the Maine DHS > Hearing Room, before the Court today for 4 hours. Maine is putting > me through an ordeal that goes on and on, so I am not able to > get enough time for positive energy to flow and create. > > Maine doesn't seem to understand that I am NOT going to give in > to being stuck away in a nursing home. > > The State ,and also the provider of paychecks to my workers, the ALpha > One > Independent Living Center, are trying to chop out 8 hours/day of my 13 > daily hours of personal care attendant (PCA) assistance. I have > had 13 since 1998. > > I spent a large amount of time explaining and illustrating the meaning of > "off-period" "low period" freezing episode" and dyskinesia > when I was being cross-examined. I elaborated on how these different > states affect PWP's. > > Much of my evaluation centered on substantiating my claim > that I am more disabled than I appear to be when I appear in public. > > I explained what it means to "fine-tune" your medications > while remaining in conversation with your physician. > > I was sworn in, answered questions for my attorney from the > Disability Rights Center, Paul Tuttle of Lousiana, > and questioned very hostilely by the Asst, Atty-General Ross. > > I said on the record (while being taped) that the 10/20 assessment > felt like an interrogation and confession forced out of a > totally innocent and unsuspecting person. > > I was shocked when my neurologist's affidavit was invalidated > andobjected to because it had no date on it (but it was dated > on the FAX cover sheet), and tossed out; my primary witness's > affidavit , a social worker's statement about my health > for the last six months, was excluded because it supposedly > did not cover the assessment week in October. > > I am on consumer-directed Medicaid waiver for the physically > disabled. > > The state's star witness, Ms. Baldwin, interprets the Medicaid rules, > sets thelow PCA pay rate and is in charge of my case. > She does not want me to drive , nor get around town by > asking PCA's to drive me except to stores for food, banks , ie NO > recreational, leisure and social activities are acceptable. > > My mental health and social well-being is somehow forgotten. > Ms. Baldwin objects to my asking my PCAfor help to prepare to > go to synagogue, and she specifically does NOT want me to sing > in the choir with PCA help. > > Otherwise it could be fraud. So she wants me to be > confined to my house, except for when friends are helping me. > > The two opposing attorneys were given 10 days to submit > written closing arguments about my future. > > I am so glad this testifying job is over- at least it seems like > I will not have to have the case re-opened in front of the Court. > > Ivan Mfowethu Suzman > > On Mon, 1 Jan 2001 09:56:46 -0500 Mary Ann Ryan <[log in to unmask]> > writes: > > > And what happens if I have a freezing > > > episode in the hearing room? > > > > Ivan, a freezing episode just might convince the court. Think > > about having > > one. > > ----- > > God bless > > Mary Ann > > ^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) > Ivan Suzman 51/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) > Portland, Maine land of lighthouses deg. F :-) > ********************************************************************