Hospital Re-admissions 

Nursing Home Profits and Quality of Care

 In recent years Wall Street investment firms have purchased thousands of nursing homes for themselves or their private equity partners. After acquiring these homes they often reduce costs, increase profits, and sell them again for significant gain, a practice not unfamiliar to anyone acquainted with corporate capitalism. 

    In case you or a loved one ever need a nursing facility however, you will want to be aware of these statistics. For-profit nursing homes score worse on most of the indicators that regulators use to judge care, including bedsores, infections, and depression. This New York Times article employs data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to describe what often happens when a nursing home is owned by a large for-profit entity.  

Read the complete story: 

 Reverse Mortgage Counseling

 When the term "reverse mortgage" is used in conversation with most Americans the reaction is either that of puzzlement or skepticism. Both are understandable. Reverse mortgages are a relatively new way to unlock the value of ones home. They are also moderately complicated and have been pushed on vulnerable seniors for whom this type of transaction is not appropriate. 

     There is good news however. In the last couple of years the costs of these transactions have come down significantly allowing homeowners access to more of their house's value. More importantly in my opinion, HUD, which oversees these transactions, requires every homeowner to undergo counseling to insure that they have objective information with which to base a decision. These counselors are well trained and independent from any banking or loan agency. They often work through local not-for-profits. If you think a reverse mortgage may help your situation, by all means explore the possibility, but take full advantage of the HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) counselor's insight. 

Home Safety Checklist

Remaining in ones own home is the preferred choice of many older adults. In some cases many support systems need to be in place for this option to be practical but there is one thing we can all do to help make this a viable choice and that is simple home safety. Many of the items in the following list are of particular importance to seniors whose safety and ability to negotiate their environment will determine if they can remain where they choose. 

To the checklist: