News
Can Nursing Home Residents Leave for the Holidays?
As we are now in the holiday season, one question many families are asking is, "can nursing home residents leave for the holidays?" If a resident decides to leave the nursing home for the holidays, CMS recommends certain actions when the resident returns. Consider the following scenario. A client was in a local nursing home for a rehabilitation stay following a fall resulting in hospitalization. His spouse communicated that her husband wanted to come home for the day to spend Thanksgiving with his family and would be devastated if he was unable to do so for health reasons. The nursing [...]
Human Composting: The New Green Burial Movement
What is human composting, and is it a viable option for end-of-life? As an end-of-life doula, one of my goals is to bring awareness and intimacy back to caring for loved ones at the end of life and after they have taken their last breath. Steering away from the "traditional" way we have been dealing with death can give us the ability to care for our dead and dying in a way that allows us to honor them, work through fears and emotions related to death, promote healthy grieving, and bring closure to loved ones. In September, California's governor Gavin [...]
Does it Have to Be this Complicated?
Once, during a client meeting, I was attempting to explain to a client’s family why part of the client’s income must be placed into a trust to become eligible for Medicaid assisted living coverage in New Jersey. As I was explaining something that I knew did not make sense to a reasonable person, I asked myself, does it really need to be this complicated? A federal court, regarding the complexity of Medicaid law, has stated: “There can be no doubt but that the statutes and provisions in question, involving the financing of Medicare and Medicaid, are among the most completely [...]
It’s More Than a Game
What a great few weeks it has been for Philadelphia sports fans. Baseball was and will always be the number one sport for me. I mentioned to my wife Sunday, October 23rd, 2022, was one of the top three days for sports in my life. The first was in October 1993, watching the Phillies win the 1993 National League Pennant while sitting next to my dad in the 700 level of old Veterans Stadium. My dad died a few years later. Celebrating and hugging each other in that old cement bowl known as Veterans Stadium is still vividly etched in my mind. [...]
CMS to Make More Medicare Nursing Home Ownership Data Publicly Available
Additional Medicare nursing home ownership data is being made publicly available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This effort may help improve nursing home transparency, safety and quality, and accountability by providing more information about the ownership of all Medicare-certified nursing homes. This data will, for the first time, give state licensing officials, state and federal law enforcement, researchers, and the public an enhanced ability to identify common owners of nursing homes across nursing home locations. This information can be linked to other data sources to identify [...]
The Life Care Plan: A Complex and Confusing Puzzle
Navigating a successful life care plan is much like a puzzle. Every step must be correct to progress and complete the plan. I love puzzles. Crosswords, sudoku, cryptograms, almost any puzzle. My friends and family poke fun at me for casually glancing at a puzzle on the NY Times iPhone app when I should be engaged otherwise (like at dinner or at my daughters’ soccer games). Regardless of my penchant for puzzles at inopportune times, my wife, Stefanie, recently gave me The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs. The book follows Jacobs’ “quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords [...]
My Visit with Grandpa: A Reminder of Why We Do What We Do
I have been a geriatric social worker for eight years and a care coordinator with Rothkoff Law Group for over three. I knew I wanted to work with the geriatric population when I was completing an internship at a long-term care facility in South Jersey during my senior year of college. I fell in love with the elderly population and knew that I wanted to help seniors have a good quality of life and be treated with dignity and respect. I also wanted to give them the chance to talk about their lives and feel heard. Working with the elderly [...]
Understanding the Difference Between Hospice and Palliative Care
When speaking with families, I am often asked, “What is the difference between hospice and palliative care?” These two terms are often used interchangeably, but it is important to understand there is a distinction between the two. Both hospice and palliative care are available for an individual who is suffering from a chronic disease, such as but not limited to dementia, congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and/or cancer. The goal of both hospice and palliative care is to focus on symptom management and ensuring the patient’s comfort. So, what is the difference between hospice and palliative [...]
The Power of Music
A few years ago, when I first heard country artist Jay Allen's song, "Blank Stares," it struck a chord with me. Every word explained exactly how I was feeling and what I was experiencing caring for my mother living with Alzheimer's disease. The song even begins with a snippet of a voicemail message that his mother left him. I, too, keep voicemail messages that my mom left for me and listen to them just to hear her voice. Jay shares his emotional story often in an effort to educate the public about this horrific disease without a cure. Jay released [...]
The End-of-Life Doula: A New Approach to Death Positivity
Francis Bacon once said, “It is as natural to die as to be born.” Does the thought of that make you uncomfortable? If it does, you are not alone. Death is a very uncomfortable subject for many people. The fact that we will die someday is one thing we all have in common, so why are we so uncomfortable thinking and talking about death? As a care coordinator at Rothkoff Law Group, I work with many clients and families around end-of-life issues. I recently completed the End-of-Life Doula course through the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA). One of [...]
My Grandmother the Teacher
My grandmother, Fannie Weiss, died in 1999 as the result of end-stage Alzheimer's Disease. Towards the end of her life, she was unable to recognize family and friends. I remember her fondly for her love of Yiddish humor, dancing, and singing and her fondness for taking every Sweet’N Low packet home with her from each and every diner in Northeast Philadelphia. She loved to show off her grandchildren to her friends and take us to her community pool. She was always there for me, as well as her other grandchildren, when needed. Yet, when she needed me the most, at [...]
An Unexpected Support System in Our Public Benefits Department
Written by Kaitlin Dirkx, Director of Public Benefits. Fall 2022 marks my seventh anniversary with Rothkoff Law Group, working as Director of Public Benefits. It also marks the longest I have ever worked for the same employer. When people ask what has kept me here for seven years, I always return to the relationships that I build with clients and the fulfillment that it brings me. As I meet more and more families struggling with enormous financial stress and anxiety while managing a loved one’s illness, it reinforces how much I enjoy helping people in this way at one of [...]
How To Find A High-Quality Home Healthcare Provider
There are many factors to consider when choosing a home healthcare provider. Home health services include Skilled Nursing, Physical, Occupational, Speech, Therapy, Medical Social Services, and Home Health Aide. Choosing a high-quality home healthcare provider that is recognized for excellent care can help increase your likelihood of recovering faster and staying healthy at home. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reports on home health quality measures on the Care Compare website. The website is a tool to help consumers choose a home healthcare provider. It's designed to be an easy-to-access, convenient, official source of information about provider quality [...]
A Day in the Life of a Big City Emergency Department
There must be a better way to provide emergency health services. I write this from the perspective of a recent emergency room patient of Jefferson Hospital in Center City, Philadelphia. On July 11th, 2022, around 11am, I was in my Cherry Hill office when I began to experience a tingling sensation in both my arms and legs. Soon after, I became light-headed and began to experience a numbing sensation around my mouth. This was when I became concerned, as I thought these were potential symptoms of a stroke. Being involved in stroke advocacy groups in the past, I knew I [...]
Elder Care Coordinators at Rothkoff Law Group
Rothkoff Law Group follows a unique care-first approach to elder law, allowing Elder Care Coordinators (ECCs) to help our clients navigate the long-term care maze while advocating for their needs. The Elder Care Coordinators generally come from a background in long-term care, such as a subacute community, hospital, or local area agency on aging. When introducing ourselves and our roles, it is often received with an intrigued look along with, "What would a care coordinator do in a law firm?" The Elder Care Coordinators, in conjunction with other members of the firm, assist clients and their families in making certain [...]