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Don’t Pay The Cat Fee

27 18:17:05
Who will get THE phone call? There is one in every family. They know who they are. Every member of the family knows who they are. Who are �they�?

�They� are the one family member that will be called on first when a family starts experiencing the need to care for a loved one. It doesn’t matter whether it is home care that’s needed, nursing home care, assisted living, community care�one person gets the call to start the process.

This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a reality. The beginning of the need for care starts a progression of events that filters its way through the health care system and takes a family down a road they may or may not be prepared to travel.

Once a family starts down this path, they quickly come to the realization that although there is lots of talk about aging in America, there’s very little cohesiveness or a logical �good� system in place to help families.

In a very short time, families come to feel alone and overwhelmed in finding solutions to a problem they may have chosen to ignore [sometimes for years]. Many people live their lives with the assumption that when they, or their loved one, needs help � help will be readily available.

Help is available�but at what cost? �Sticker shock� barely captures the surprise when faced with the cost of care and the enormity of the true price of care. Not just dollars and cents, but the time family members, friends and neighbors spend as they do their very best in the caring for their sick, injured or elderly loved one.

Once �they� get the call, the family begins the arduous process of developing a plan to care for their parent, sibling, or spouse. It can take many forms and involve physicians, nurses, health aides, insurance companies, neighbors, community resources, etc.

Home Health Care: Let’s focus on home health care. Look for reports addressing other options for care in the near future.

Everyone wants to remain in his or her home! This is a fact and there’s no reason to get in an argument with your mom about moving her or anyone else into a nursing home. This very topic causes families to implode.

So, since everyone wants to age in their own home � the challenge is to successfully accomplish that desire. It can be done; and it can be done well.

Integrity Home Care was designed and developed for that very purpose. Integrity Home Care offers a full range of services from Companion Care to Skilled Nursing Care! From as little as a few hours a day to around-the-clock care, Integrity Home Care provides services for people of all ages from pediatrics to geriatrics.

�Our mission is to cultivate a Christian-based environment in which we can identify and meet the home care needs of our clients and the career needs of our employees with unmatched skill, compassion and integrity.�

As you help a family member through the aging process, discover how Integrity Home Care can provide personal assistance with bathing and dressing. They can help with the housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation and even make sure your loved one is eating correctly for their dietary needs by utilizing Integrity Home Care’s Dietary Assistance.
Their services can include, doing the shopping, run errands, and provide transportation. What families want, especially if the one needing care is long distance, are qualified companions, nursing care, overnight care, or medication assistance. If a family is helping out on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, the best thing for them is occasional time off from these tasks. Integrity Home Care can provide �respite� care�care for the caregiver.

Yes, there is a cost. Services can be paid for through various payment methods that include:
Medicare, Medicaid, Private Pay, Workers Compensation, Long-Term Care Insurance, Private Insurance, Health Plans, etc.

Before you dismiss contacting Integrity Home Care because you feel you can’t �afford� their services�let me urge you to meet with them, develop a plan, make a decision and�Avoid the $75 An Hour Cat Fee!
� As my parents grew old together, their bodies aged differently. My dad, a successful businessman and always physically strong, suddenly didn’t understand the concept behind a checking account. The finance decisions then passed to my mother.
� My mother, mentally sharp but physically frail, was now faced with having all aspects of home life on her shoulders. The children stepped in from around the country and were immediately confronted with��we’re not leaving this house.�
� We were able to develop a plan with the help of many of the resources previously listed. I eventually took over the finances as my mother was quickly burdened with caring for my father, keeping the house operating and keeping the money moving in the right direction.
� Focusing on their day-to-day finances, I was able to stop the bimonthly payment to the cat masseuse. Yes, my mother had been given �Frank� a nice enough kitty from the local animal shelter but somehow Frank arrived with a personal cat massage therapist. A very nice lady would show up at the house and for $75 an hour, give Frank a massage. And, it turns out Frank’s plan of care required a massage twice a month! My mother was told, and believed, that this helped Frank in some way.
� The cat masseuse was not happy when I �fired� her from this rather lucrative endeavor but Frank didn’t seem to notice that his �spa package� had been severely curtailed.

Use Integrity Home Care�develop a plan and avoid the non-sense that unfortunately, is routinely perpetuated on the sick and elderly. Integrity Home Care works closely with family members and makes certain that only good decisions are made in developing a plan of care and implementing that plan. The cat fee never had to happen!