Insurance provides safety and security against loss on a particular event. You have to have it. And most, over the age of 65 have coverage of Medicare. But what exactly does it cover? Do you know what it covers concerning skilled nursing facilities? Let’s go through a Medicare run-down! Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers skilled nursing care (often known as rehabilitation) provided in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) under certain conditions for a limited time. Medicare-covered services (if needed to meet your health goal) include, but are not limited to: Semi-private room (or private room if the facility has no extra fees) Meals Skilled nursing care Physical and occupational therapy Speech-language pathology services Medical social services Medications (most) Medical supplies and equipment used in the facility (most) Ambulance transportation (when other transportation endangers health) to the nearest supplier of needed services that aren’t available at the SNF (such as dialysis) Dietary counseling Eligible for these benefits if you meet these conditions: You have Part A and have days left in your benefit period You have had a qualifying hospital stay (3 nights) You doctor has decided that you need skilled nursing care You receive the skilled services in a SNF that is certified by Medicare You are going to receive the skilled services for a condition you were hospitalized for or for a condition that started while you were getting care in the SNF for the hospital-related condition **To be considered a 3-night hospital stay, your stay has to be defined at INPATIENT. Clarify with your case manager if you are in the hospital for observation or inpatient. Costs: Days 1-20 = $0 for each benefit period Days 21-100 = $161 each day in the SNF unless your co-insurance pays some of this Days 101 and beyond = you pay all costs. EXTRAS: If you have had a 3-night qualifying hospital stay, but do not immediately choose to go to a SNF for rehab, you have 30 days to change your mind and receive care If your break in skilled nursing care lasts more than 30 days, you need a new 3-day hospital stay to qualify for additional SNF care If your break in care lasts more than 60 days in a row, this ends your current benefit period and renews your SNF benefits Nursing Home Care Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) may cover care given in a certified skilled nursing facility (SNF) if it's medically necessary for you to have skilled nursing care. However, most nursing home care is custodial care (help with bathing, eating, dressing). Medicare doesn't cover custodial care if that's the only care you need. For more information, visit www.medicare.gov. For more information visit "Your Medicare Coverage." Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Care. .

Supper Club is this week!! Thursday the 18th to be exact. What is Supper Club you ask? Why do I need to be there? What is it all about? Glad you asked! Supper Club is all about friends, family, residents, and employees gathering together for food, fun, and fellowship. It’s none other than a delicious at-home get-together that allows everyone to spend time with one another and engage in conversation. It’s just a fun reason to have a PARTY! Supper Club is important to us at Mitchell-Hollingsworth because it is a time where we put everything aside and we make that time for our friends. We long for our residents and employees to build deeper connections with one another and it is a commitment that we have regularly kept. Supper Club also comes with a fun theme! Our last Supper Club had a little taste of Italy! Families and friends of residents at Mitchell-Hollingsworth are invited! Instead of everyone bringing a dish as you might have at other Supper Clubs, all we ask is that you come as you are. Sit back, relax, and we’ll do the rest! Don’t forget to let us know if you are coming so that we can plan accordingly. Your loved ones will appreciate your presence and truly enjoy showing you off!

Birthdays, holidays, graduations, reunions, quick trips! We completely understand that from time to time residents may wish to be away from the facility overnight. We don’t want them to miss out on important family gatherings and events that mean something special to them. We want them to be able to share in those big celebrations and special memories! In this case, this is called therapeutic leave and it is for residents of the nursing home only, not rehab short-term care patients. We do, however, have to use caution to ensure Medicaid eligibility is uninterrupted so that our residents do not lose their coverage. We also will provide you with bed-hold information before the leave takes place. While states may vary on their Medicaid rules and regulations, here are some rules that we like to follow. You may take up to 6 periods of leave each year. One period of leave is any overnight stay outside the Facility which lasts no more than 72 hours (but which may be less than 72 hours). No more than two of these periods of leave may occur in any single calendar quarter. There must be at least a one-day break between two periods of leave. The facility must ensure that each therapeutically indicated period of leave by a resident to home, relative, or friends is authorized and certified by a physician. The facility must provide written notice to the resident and a family member or legal representative specifying the Medicaid policy upon a resident taking therapeutic leave. For more information, please contact your resident rep and he/she will provide you with the information you are seeking or visit www.medicaid.alabama.gov.

With school starting back, households everywhere are yet again becoming hectic in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. There’s the hustle and bustle of getting everyone ready and out the door in the mornings and then coming home to homework and the preparation to do it all again the very next day. Your day may seem filled with school and work, but don’t forget to throw a little family in there as well. There is really no special formula to achieving BALANCE and getting everything done in a day and as you will find, your family’s routine may be quite different from your neighbors. The key to obtaining a perfect balance to YOUR life is finding solutions to your daily challenges and balancing the responsibilities amongst family roles. Here are some tips to help you obtain that balance in your life... 1. Build an awesome support system. It’s OK to ask for help and be helped. You have to remember you are only human and cannot do it all. Include your children, parents, friends, etc. Most likely they are more than willing to help you out if they knew you had the need. If you want to visit Mom in the nursing home. Do it. Have your sister, husband, friend pick up the kids from school. If you know Mom has had a hard time lately, call your sister or aunt or uncle. Tell them mom needs a visit or a trip out for dinner. Don’t assume people know your needs. Build your support system and use it! 2. Let go of the guilt. Guilt can take ahold of you and slowly drag you down. It can wipe away your energy. If you mess up, get back on course and do better the next day. Don’t let the strife of a bad day or bad decision change you. It’s ok you promised Dad you’d let the grandkids come visit him, but forgot they have baseball practice. Do better the next day. Make good on your promises and let go of the guilt. 3. Stop trying to be the perfectionist. We want to think we are. We want to think we can do it all.Know your limits. Set your own standards and be realistic about your goals. 4. Get organized. Plan your day. Set priorities. Create structure. Build lists. Check those lists off! 5. Share your schedule with others. Talk about your daily plans with friends and family. They may have similar daily struggles that can effectively be combined and work decreased. Carpooling is always a great option. Become friends with other family members of residents at the nursing home. Take turns dropping by to say hello or bringing in a special gift. 6. Create time for yourself. To be good to others, sometimes you must first be good to yourself. Find ways to relax, relieve tension, and find happiness. 7. Be flexible. There will always be times when you don’t get in everything you had planned for the day. Learn to be flexible. Circumstances in life are constantly changing. Be ready to pick up new responsibilities throughout the day and reprioritize as the day goes on. Never get too comfortable. 8. Remember why you’re doing it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when looking at a long list of daily tasks, but keeping the reasons for doing them in the forefront of your mind will give the tasks so much more meaning. Your picking your kids up from school and learning about all their little minds absorbed for the day. Stopping in to the nursing home to visit Dad, you get to spend quality time with him and reminisce on the funny stories of the past and learn about the new events and activities coming up. 9. Celebrate successes. Cross those tasks off your list and keep your eye on the prize. Whether it’s small or large obstacles, commemorate your achievements with friends and family. So you’ve passed that college course you’ve been studying for night after night. Let the family take you out to dinner! It’s necessary to celebrate successes to keep motivation for the next goal. 10. Enjoy life! We have this one life to live. Be happy. Live happy. Spread happiness.

It’s National Nursing Home Week!! This is a week to shine a spotlight on our nursing home residents and the staff members that help make a difference in their lives every single day. National Nursing Home week began in 1967 and was incorporated into the celebration of Older Americans Month established in 1963 when only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthdays. Each year there is a theme for National Nursing Home week, and this year’s theme is “It’s a Small World with a Big Heart.” Every skilled nursing care center is a small, vibrant world. Here, caring people of all skills and professions interact socially and medically with residents, rehab patients, and families. Whether they are medical staff, nursing, rehab, administrative, etc. it takes every single one to make our facility special; a place that provides a caring and nurturing environment for our residents and patients. The work they do is truly important, but often underappreciated by those who do not understand fully the dedication and commitment made every day to caring for others. This week, we will celebrate the hard work and dedication of skilled nursing facility staff members and for our residents who continuously make a positive difference in the lives of so many. So join us this week for our big celebration that will include a carnival and parade with fire trucks, high school bands, vintage cars, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell-Hollingsworth, prom king and queen, and even the Mayor! We will have food of all kinds including corn dogs, ice cream, and many thanks for Buffalo Rock for sponsoring our drinks. There will be music! Lots of fun games! An altogether exciting day for staff and residents alike! With this year’s theme being “It’s a Small World with a Big Heart”, we will also have activities based around Florence including the History of Florence, Taste of Florence (sampling foods that are special to our city), and Music of Florence! So this week, salute your local skilled nursing care center and the role they embrace in society!