Springhill Groups Home care for elderly to change

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THE future of the Home and Community Care Services (HACC) program in Bundaberg is up in the air with Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) considering privatising the service.

It could come as soon as March this year, with the final decision resting with the Federal Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA).

WBHHS chief executive officer Adrian Pennington said transferring the delivery of HACC services to another provider was still a proposal but the change could affect about 800 clients in the Bundaberg region and 600 in the Fraser Coast.

Mr Pennington said while clients could expect to receive similar or equal level of care under a new provider there were no guarantees the service would remain free.

"While it would be our preference for our clients' sake to keep the service free, we are unable to speculate what fees, if any, would be applicable in future as this would be determined by the new provider," he said.

"These clients will be notified of changes to the service via a letter this week."

HACC provides many services including meals on wheels, transport and nursing care to support older people to stay at home and be more independent in the community.

When the NewsMail asked how many jobs could be at risk Mr Pennington said: "As the consultation process with staff is ongoing, at this time I consider it premature and inconsiderate to discuss publicly staffing matters relating to HACC services."

He said a meeting had been held with staff last week to provide help including contact details for organisations including the Employee Assistance Scheme.

"We recognise this is a deeply unsettling time for people and I want to offer my assurance that we will support all staff and clients affected," he said.

He said the details of the proposal were still to be finalised.

"We are yet to properly liaise further with the Federal Department of Health and Ageing and the Queensland Department of Community Safety (DCS) as to what a transfer of services would involve, and a suitable alternative provider in the Wide Bay area is yet to be found."

Mr Pennington said on January 14 the WBHHS board supported a decision to stop the delivery of HACC services by the end of March 2013.

"However a transition process will be implemented to guarantee the needs of all clients are appropriately met throughout this time," he said.

Meanwhile a public meeting was to be held in Eidsvold last night to address the ongoing concerns around the future of the local hospital and the inability to attract permanent doctors.

The meeting comes after Premier Campbell Newman last week stepped in to reassure patients and staff that Eidsvold Hospital would not close.

Advantages of Home Care by Springhill Care Group

http://www.kontain.com/garymason/entries/145471/Advantages-of-Home-Care-by-Springhill-Care-Group

Time is very essential to everybody. We will never know when were going to loose it. Today everyone seems to be very busy, everybody has to live and in order to live one must work for them. But we cannot work and take care of our parents or grandparents who’s getting older and requires more care and attention. We became more concern about their safety at home. It’s not an easy task caring for the elderly, especially if you are trying to do it alone. And aside from work, there comes a time when you will need a break, or just some time alone for yourself. With the constant worry that something may go wrong, the respites and personal time become nonexistent.


Sometimes we are left with tough decision, whether or not an elderly family member should move into an assisted living facility is often one of the key questions. Home care for the elderly is an option for caregivers who need extra help while offering the elderly person a good quality of life for the rest of their years.

 To make your decision a lot easier, these advantages of letting elderly live in Home care might help you decide:

 1. Seniors are getting more sensitive than usual. One advantage of leeting them stay in home care can give them the sense of freedom, and freedom for them could mean maintaining dignity, dignity which is something seniors feels like loosing as they age. This freedom would not be possible in an assisted living residence. This freedom could also mean that those who receive homecare can come and go as they please-for whatever reason. They can also choose their own meal times so they can eat whenever they are hungry unlike if meals are served to them, they might feel like prisoners. They are left with the feeling of they can decide for themselves.
2. It is proven that caring for pets can reduce stress levels and was also proven to have health benefits for seniors. Homes allow elderly to keep their pets and even beloved possessions with them for these possessions are tied to invaluable memories.
3. Visiting hours and even the number of visitors are not restricted; friends and families can visit anytime they please. This would create a more fulfilling relationship between them.
4. Living at home if sick one can spread illness like wildfire. This is of course being assisted with proper precautions. Those who are sick can simply be asked not visit until they are full recovered. And living at home should help seniors stay healthier, as they won’t be subjected to the all the germs that inevitably linger at a place where many people live.
5. Moving to a new place with new people and new routine but homecare allows the elderly to avoid this emotional stress from happening Maintaining continuity leads to psychological wellbeing.
6. Home care is a more fiscally responsible choice because there can be many stressors like, assisted living facilities are costly and the location may be inconvenient, making it difficult for family members to visit. Many seniors have already paid off their mortgage, so moving to a retirement home is an added expense.
7. Most especially and more importantly those who live at home are often happier than they would be living at a retirement home. The familiarity and comforts of home are irreplaceable.

 Not to mention the peace of mind that you can get if your elderly is at home care. Home care for the elderly usually includes a trained person in the medical field. Seniors are often cared one-on-one by these professionals. Plus they are very keen about nutrition and exercise, you are certain that your parents or grandparents are well taken care of.

Springhill Care Group | Alzheimer’s as Most Feared Disease by Americans According to Poll

Free Alzheimer’s Training Available in all 50 States to Support Family Caregivers

Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal, progressive and degenerative disease that destroys brain cells. It is the most common form of dementia.  Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging.  Symptoms include having difficulty remembering things, making decisions and performing everyday activities.  These changes can affect the way a person feels and acts.  There is currently no way to stop the disease, but research is improving the way provide care and will continue to search for a cure.

                                         

Americans fear developing Alzheimer’s disease more than any other major life-threatening disease, including cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes  according to OMAHA, Neb. – November 13, 2012 – Home Instead Senior Care®, the world’s leading provider of home care services for seniors, announced new survey results.

More than 1,200 Americans was designed to gain perspective on the most pressing concerns associated with Alzheimer’s, including diagnosis and the difficulties of caring for a loved one with the disease, according to the survey of Marist Institute for Public Opinion
.
According to Jeff Huber, president and chief operating officer of Home Instead, Inc. “The survey confirmed what our franchise owners had been hearing from their clients and their families – the majority of Americans feel unprepared to care for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  The need for support and education for these families is critical.”
Additional survey highlights include:

o Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63 percent) have had a personal experience with someone with Alzheimer’s and/or a serious memory loss problem.

o 61 percent of Americans feel unprepared to care for a loved one diagnosed with the disease.

o If diagnosed with the disease, Americans most fear the inability to care for oneself, and burdening others (68 percent); followed by losing memory of life and loved ones (32 percent).

o A plurality of Americans – 44 percent – cites the illness as their most feared disease compared to 33 percent who cite cancer.

o More than other generations, a majority of Americans over 65 years of age (the silent/greatest generation) – 56 percent – fear an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

o When asked if it would be harder to receive an Alzheimer’s diagnosis or care for someone with the disease, Americans are equally split down the middle, 50/50.

News on Springhill Care Group: Businesses Focus on Region's Aging Population

News on Springhill Care Group – Home Care

Using a moisture sensor, a wireless system and a mobile phone, Kevin Wong, the chief executive of Ckicom Technology Ltd, explains how this new technology can alert caregivers when they should change the diapers of elderly people in nursing homes.

As the rapid aging of Asia's population creates challenges for governments and societies, new opportunities are emerging for businesses serving the needs of the elderly and their caretakers.

While population aging is a global phenomenon, the Asian-Pacific region is expected to see a particularly drastic demographic change over the next few decades. The number of elderly persons in the region—already home to more than half of the world's population aged 60 and over—is expected to triple to more than 1.2 billion by 2050, when one in four people in the region will be over 60 years old, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Across Asia, large corporations and entrepreneurs in various industries are racing to come up with new products and services for the elderly, while health-care-related businesses are seeing soaring demand. Among various fields of health care for the elderly, nursing homes represent one of the fastest-growing sectors.

In Japan, companies that previously had little to do with the issue of aging have jumped on the bandwagon. In 2005, Watami Co., which operates Japanese-style izakaya pubs serving food and drinks, entered a new business of running nursing homes. In the most recent fiscal year, the nursing business was more profitable than its izakaya business. Demand for Watami's new business is robust because Japan's population is the world's grayest, according to a 2009 United Nation report, with nearly 30% aged 60 or older.

Other parts of Asia, such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, are also anticipating a surge in the percentage of elderly citizens. In China, people over the age of 60 now account for 13.3% of the country's population of 1.34 billion, up from 10.3% in 2000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, and the aging trend is expected to accelerate.

In January, China's state-run Xinhua news agency wrote about challenges facing nursing homes, saying "there are simply not enough nurses or beds to accommodate the country's elderly population."

In March, Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said at a forum in Beijing that the country needs to take more steps to cope with a rapidly aging population in the years ahead.

Despite varying levels of infrastructure and support from governments, the global market for nursing and health-care services continues to expand, and expectations are rising for businesses that might meet the growing demand.

Last month, IHH Healthcare Bhd., Asia's largest hospital operator by market value, staged a strong trading debut in Malaysia and Singapore, after raising US$2 billion in its initial public offering, the world's third-largest IPO this year.

Analysts said that population aging in Asia and the rest of the world makes IHH a good long-term investment.

Given the opportunities in the market for hospitals and nursing homes, some technology entrepreneurs are focusing on products and services they could sell to health-care institutions.

Kevin Wong, an engineer from Guangzhou, China, has developed a new product that he thinks will appeal to nursing homes and hospitals. His Hong-Kong based start-up, Ckicom Technology Ltd., sells a disposable adult diaper equipped with a moisture sensor and a wireless system that sends wetness alerts to nursing-home workers via personal computers and mobile phones.

A small clip-on sensor device attached to the diaper detects moisture through special carbon ink prints on the diaper's inner surface and sends the information wirelessly to PCs and mobile phones. The clip-on device isn't disposable.

Each disposable diaper costs US$1.20 or less, and nursing homes also need to purchase or lease the wireless system including the clip-on devices. For a nursing home with 100 beds, for example, the system would likely cost US$5,000 to US$10,000, the company said.

Ckicom's CAREase diaper, one of the 12 finalists competing for The Wall Street Journal's Asian Innovation Awards, can detect wetness at three different levels, eliminating the need for workers to repeatedly check residents' diapers just to see whether they need to be replaced. "It helps nursing homes upgrade their services," Mr. Wong said.

Mr. Wong, 50 years old, came up with the idea of a wetness-sensing diaper for babies more than 30 years ago, during a classroom discussion at the South China Institute of Technology. He never pursued that idea and instead worked for much of the past three decades at a company that develops consumer-electronics products.

Five years ago, one of his college classmates, who lived in the U.S., called Mr. Wong and reminded him of the moisture-sensing diaper idea, which Mr. Wong himself had forgotten about. The friend said that nursing homes for the elderly would want such a diaper.

After conducting research for almost a year, Mr. Wong quit his job and started Ckicom in 2008 to develop the diaper in a project partially funded by the Hong Kong government.

The challenge was to create a comfortable diaper that can accurately determine wetness levels, while keeping the cost reasonable, Mr. Wong said.

The potential market is growing, as Hong Kong expects the percentage of its population aged 65 and over to increase to 26% in 2036 from 12% in 2006, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

Five nursing homes in Hong Kong are now testing the CAREase diaper, while the company's Taiwanese distribution agent has recently received orders for 100,000 diapers.

Ckicom also has set up an office in Tokyo.

The closely held company forecasts revenue of about US$1 million in the current fiscal year through March.

While Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan are its main markets for now, the company wants eventually to expand into the U.S. and Europe as well as mainland China, Mr. Wong said.

Following the Money in Health Care Fraud: Reflections on a Modern- Day Yellow Brick Road-livejournal-zimbio

http://www.zimbio.com/Springhill+Care+Group/articles/hQsaenqDNlB/Following+Money+Health+Care+Fraud+Reflections?add=True

Health care fraud is all about the money. The United States spent an estimated $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009, with over $918 billion of that coming from the federal government. Under some estimates, up to 10 percent of that amount – no one quite knows for sure – might be lost to fraud. But the relationship between health care fraud and the U.S. health care system is far more complex than might first appear. Would-be “fraudsters” are not the only ones who respond to the financial incentives in the system. Due to the unique nature of the laws used to pursue health care fraud, both public and private prosecutors also follow the money in choosing their targets and both may share in the spoils of a successful prosecution. Perceptions about the money lost to health care fraud also have enormous influence on policymakers, as exemplified by the recent health care reform debate. In short, money may drive health care fraud, but not all roads lead in the same direction. This essay explores three different perspectives on the ways in which health care fraud “follows the money” – the would-be perpetrators of fraudulent schemes, the public and private prosecutors who pursue fraudulent activities, and the policymakers who work to prevent fraud and recapture lost funds for legitimate program purposes.

Pension Obligations and Rights-livejournal-zimbio

http://www.zimbio.com/Springhill+Care+Group/articles/ieMYsqdEiBe/Pension+Obligations+Rights+livejournal?add=True

Mandatory Pension Contributions:
Since 1999, all foreign workers between the ages of 18 and 60, regardless of the size of the workplace or the number of employees, have been included in the mandatory Korean National Pension Scheme with only a few exceptions. If you fall within one of the following categories, you do not have to be enrolled in the NPS and you do not have to pay the contributions:
1. You are a citizen of one of the 17 nations that do not mandate Korean citizens working in your country to pay into its pension plan: Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Tonga, Vietnam.
2. You are in one of the following categories: culture & art, study abroad, industrial training, general training, religion, etc.
3. You are over 60 years of age

 

Calculation of Pension Contribution:
The law requires that Korean and Foreign workers be treated equally. According to the NPS, “…there is no discrimination in terms of the benefit amount and remitting benefit abroad, etc.” The contribution is calculated by multiplying the worker’s reported (by the employer) monthly income by the 9% rate (between minimum W220,000 and maximum W3,600,000). Both the employer and the employee each pay an equal amount of the required 9% contribution. The employer deducts 4.5% from the employee’s wage and must make the matching 4.5% contribution payment at the same time.

Pension Contribution Refund:
Although Korea’s NPS policy does not call for repayments of their pension contributions when foreign workers leaving the country. However, if you are a citizen of a nation that grants Koreans working in that country a lump-sum refund (see list below*) or one that has concluded an agreement with Korea to secure benefit rights by combining the insured period in each country: Canada, France, Germany, Hungary and the United States.
*Venezuela, Grenada, Nigeria, Barbados, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Congo, Thailand, Togo, Belize, Ghana, Malaysia, Bermuda, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, El Salvador, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Trinidad and Togo, Hong Kong, Turkey, Colombia, Philippines, and Vanuatu. (List valid as of June 2007 – duration of contributions requirements apply – for more details or up-to-date info visit National Pension Scheme).

A FAMILY MEMBER HOMECARE - blogger - deviantart - tumblr

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Hollywood, Miramar and Sunrise, Florida Home Health Aide Private Duty Agency, A Family Member HomeCare, Notes U.S. Health and Human Services, Department of Justice highlight Obama Administration efforts, Health Reform tools to combat Medicare fraud
HHS Secretary and Attorney General host seventh Regional Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit in Chicago (April 4, 2012)—At a Chicago summit highlighting a new high-tech war against health care fraud, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder today discussed how the Affordable Care Act and the Obama administration’s Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) are helping fight Medicare fraud.  The Chicago summit is the seventh regional health care fraud prevention summit hosted by the Department of Justice and HHS.
The regional summits bring together a wide array of public and private partners, and are part of the HEAT partnership between HHS and the Department of Justice to prevent and combat health care fraud.  The Obama administration’s HEAT efforts have resulted in record-breaking health care fraud recoveries.  In fiscal year 2011, for the second year in a row, the departments’ anti-fraud activities resulted in more than $4 billion in recoveries, an all-time high.
“We have a simple message to criminals thinking about committing Medicare fraud: don’t even try,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Thanks to health reform and our administration’s work, we have new tools and resources to catch criminals and stop Medicare fraud before it happens.”
“This Administration continues to move aggressively in protecting patients and consumers and bringing health care fraud criminals to justice,” said Attorney General Holder.  ”Through HEAT, we have achieved unprecedented, record-breaking successes in combating health care fraud and as a result of the Affordable Care Act, we have additional critical resources, tools and authorities to continue this great success.”
New tools provided by the Affordable Care Act are strengthening the Obama administration’s efforts to fight health care fraud.  As a result of Affordable Care Act provisions:
Criminals face tougher sentences for health care fraud, 20-50 percent longer for crimes that involve more than $1 million in losses;
Contractors that police Medicare for waste, fraud, and abuse will expand their work to Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D programs;
Government entities, including states, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and law enforcement partners at the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and DOJ, have greater abilities to work together and share information so that CMS can prevent money from going to bad actors by using its authority to suspend payments to providers and suppliers engaged in suspected fraudulent activity.
Increased collaboration has yielded significant results through the HEAT partnership.  Since the creation of HEAT in 2009, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations have expanded from two to nine locations throughout the United States, including Chicago.  Strike Force operations expanded to Chicago in February 2011 and since that time, charges have been filed against more than 35 defendants in the Northern District of Illinois for offenses related to health care fraud.  Overall, in fiscal year 2011, strike force operations in nine locations charged a total of more than 320 defendants for allegedly billing more than $1 billion in false claims.
In February, as a result of HEAT and strike force actions, a Dallas-area physician and the office manager of his medical practice, along with five owners of home health agencies, were arrested on charges related to their alleged participation in a nearly $375 million health care scheme involving fraudulent claims for home health services.  In conjunction with this action, CMS imposed payment suspensions against 78 home health agencies in the Dallas area.
Today, the Obama administration also announced more progress from its anti-fraud efforts, beyond the nearly $4.1 billion recovered last year:
In the early phase of revalidating the enrollment of providers in Medicare, 234 providers were removed from the program because they were deceased, debarred or excluded by other federal agencies, or were found to be in false storefronts or otherwise invalid business locations;
In 2011, HHS revoked 4,850 Medicaid providers and suppliers and deactivated 56,733 Medicare providers and suppliers as it took steps to close vulnerabilities in Medicare;
In 2011, HHS saved $208 million through pre-payment edits that stop implausible claims before they are paid;
Prosecutions are up: the number of individuals charged with fraud increased from 797 in fiscal year 2008 to 1,430 in fiscal 2011 – nearly a 75 percent increase;
In the first few weeks of enhanced site visits required under the ACA screening requirements, HHS found 15 providers and suppliers whose business locations were non-operational and terminated their billing privileges;
Through outreach and engagement efforts more than 49,000 complaints of fraud from seniors and people with disabilities reported to 1-800-MEDICARE were referred for further evaluation;
A recent re-design of the quarterly Medicare Summary Notices received by Medicare beneficiaries makes it easier to spot and report fraud.
See this fact sheet for additional details about the Obama administration’s efforts to combat health care fraud.