Emerald Care Support Services

11/13/2024

Live PC Give PC - Friday, November 15th - if you're able, please donate to Meals on Wheels - they currently have 300 people on their waiting list, for some recipients this is their only meal for the day (only M-F) and some split the meal between two days.

The link: https://www.livepcgivepc.org/donate/Mealsonwheels-Summit-Utah-Wasatch

MISSION: To improve health and quality of life for our homebound seniors while fostering independence and ensuring no one is left hungry or isolated

Join us for the fight against senior hunger by donating generously today.

By supporting your local Meals on Wheels program, you create the opportunity to not only keep seniors healthy and independent at home, but you help save millions in tax dollars by avoiding more costly healthcare alternatives.

$35 = One Week of Hot Meals and Visits

$70 = Two Weeks of Hot Meals and Visits

$140 = One Month of Hot Meals and Visits

$280 = Two Months of Hot Meals and Visits

$500 = 15 Holiday Food Boxes

$1,000 = 30 Holiday Food Boxes

$5 = MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

60% of Meals on Wheels recipients live alone, and many report that the Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only in-person interaction they have on a regular basis
Utah ranks #1 in the nation for malnutrition deaths among seniors
89% of participants feel safer and healthier because of Meals on Wheels
We have over 300 homebound seniors wait-listed in our service area due to lack of funding
It costs less than $2,000 to feed 250 meals to a homebound senior annually - It costs approximately $10,000 per day for hospital care
Adopt-A-Route, March for Meals, Lunch Launch and other program partnerships and sponsorships are available with exceptional community visibility and impact! Email kris@mowsuw.org to learn more!

09/24/2024

Omg! Wow! My in-laws lived there and for 8 months I was their nurse.

Oakley is considering a change that would allow the Elk Meadows Assisted Living Facility to become Chateau Recovery.

09/03/2024

This is why our team of Certified Nurse Care Managers (all registered nurses and certified through the National Association of Certified Care Managers and members of the Aging Life Care Association) can help you age in place - call us at (435) 640-6972 for a complimentary assessment!

Seniors Name Aging in Place Challenges as Top Health-Related Barrier
McKnight’s Home Care / By Adam Healy

Challenges related to aging in place are the most prominent social threat impacting seniors’ health, according to a recent survey.

Alignment Health, a Medicare Advantage organization based in California, polled more than 2,000 seniors on the social and environmental factors that prevent them from receiving adequate aging-related care. The top barrier, cited by almost 70% of respondents, was aging in place. For nearly one quarter of respondents who experienced stress or anxiety in the past year, this was their No. 1 stressor.

Difficulties surrounding aging in place affect residents of some states disproportionately. Respondents who lived in North Carolina, Nevada and Texas were the most likely to report difficulties surrounding aging in place as their top health-related barrier, Meanwhile, about 30% of seniors in Arizona and Nevada said issues related to aging in place are the primary reason they may have to skip medical care.

Lack of transportation was the No. 2 barrier threatening seniors’ health, the survey found. About 64% of respondents nationwide said that not having reliable transportation is the main reason they have skipped medical care in the past. In an effort to address this issue, rideshare technology firm Uber recently launched a new program to help home care providers connect clients with transportation services.

Respondents ranked economic insecurity third among social and environmental threats to their health. The cost of home care is a significant challenge for many, and the majority of seniors aged 75 and older cannot afford daily home health visits, according to a recent, unrelated study by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Other major challenges threatening seniors’ health included loneliness, a lack of support in the home and inadequate access to nutritious foods. One-quarter of survey participants said they feel lonely sometimes or often, and nearly 40% of respondents said they have little to no support from caregivers and family members to help them age healthily.

Send a message to learn more

07/01/2024

Compared to Traditional Medicare, MA Does Not Generate Significant Savings for Members, Study Finds
McKnight’s Home Care / By Adam Healy

Though Medicare Advantage plans offer out-of-pocket spending limits and other perks, they may not reduce beneficiaries’ healthcare costs in a meaningful way, according to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The researchers sampled 7,054 traditional Medicare enrollees and 1,544 beneficiaries who switched from traditional Medicare to MA. Those who switched saw their out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures decrease by $168 dollars, and total health expenses paid out of pocket drop by only 0.2%. Participants who had reported “catastrophic” financial burden as a result of healthcare costs in traditional Medicare — meaning their out-of-pocket healthcare expenses accounted for more than 40% of their income — experienced only a 0.7% decline in healthcare expenses.

Those who switched to MA also were slightly more likely to report being unable to pay medical bills, the study found.

“Our findings contrast with the notion that MA’s apparently more generous health insurance benefits lead to financial savings for enrollees,” the authors wrote.

Many beneficiaries switch from traditional Medicare to MA to receive better coverage at a lower cost, they noted. MA plans can offer additional benefits such as dental, vision and Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill, including home-delivered meals, transportation and home modifications. Meanwhile, MA plans also have limits on out-of-pocket spending, which can further entice traditional Medicare beneficiaries.

Despite these perks, switching from traditional Medicare to MA did not yield significant cost savings for enrollees, the study found.

Still, MA pe*******on has skyrocketed in recent years. Today, more than half of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries are enrolled in an MA plan. The growing share of MA-enrolled beneficiaries has led to revenue challenges for home care providers. Many agencies report being reimbursed from MA payers as little as 60% of traditional Medicare’s rates for care.

And cost management practices such as prior authorization have led to administrative roadblocks and payment bottlenecks for providers treating MA-aligned patients.

Send a message to learn more

06/26/2024

Join our team - Team Emerald Care - for the Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 9 am at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse in Park City!

Support Team Emerald Care in the fight to end Alzheimer's. Donate today to help them reach their goal.

06/24/2024

The Alzheimer's Association is holding a Dementia Community Form tomorrow, Tuesday, 6/25/24 from 11:30 am to 1 pm at the Park City Senior Center located at 1361 Woodside Avenue. Please come join us for conversations regarding dementia in our community. We hope to see you there and the flyer is attached.

05/08/2024

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services Licensing and Background Checks now has a public website that you can look up recent inspections for assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities - among the rest of the UDHHS licensed facilities. The link is:

05/08/2024

I attended the Home Care and Hospice Association of Utah conference today and discovered a handy tool that you can use to compare Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services in your area - it includes physicians, facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and home health and hospice agencies among others. This is the link:

02/22/2024

I just watched this video for a class I'm taking on Mental Health and Older Adults; everyone should watch it!

It's not the passage of time that makes it so hard to get older. It's ageism, a prejudice that pits us against our future selves -- and each other. Ashton Ap...

05/02/2023

Hi, a month or so ago, I cancelled my Comcast account and therefore my office number/land line was also cancelled. Please only use my cell phone number to get in touch with me - 435-640-6972. Thank you!!

04/17/2023

I can’t wait!

03/07/2023

Hi, I've changed from Comcast to Verizon Internet so I no longer have a land line - 435-604-0949 has been disconnected. Please call my cell at 435-640-6972 going forward. Thank you!