Three New Resources Available To Individuals Providing Care To Chronically Ill Patients

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined three new resources available for the almost 34 million U.S. residents who care for chronically ill patients ages 50 and older. The resources include:

Alzheimer's disease Web site: The Web site, launched earlier this month by the Alzheimer's Association, provides caregivers with information on care plans, care options, care coordination and support and resources. In addition, an interactive tool on the Web site recommends care options and automatically develops questions to ask to help select care providers and facilities.

Caregiver booklet: The 20-page booklet -- recently published by the Mature Market Institute, a resource center and part of MetLife -- provides caregivers with advice and a list of resources for those who must meet with physicians, health insurers and other providers on behalf of patients.

Nursing homes booklet: The 34-page booklet, written by Eric Carlson and titled "Twenty Common Nursing Home Problems -- and How To Resolve Them," highlights "standard operating procedures" at many facilities that violate federal rules. For example, according to Carlson, an attorney who has worked as an advocate for nursing home residents for more than 15 years, many nursing homes fail to adhere to federal rules that require them to meet at least once annually with residents and their representatives to establish or update individualized care plans (Greene, Wall Street Journal, 6/27).


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