It can hurt to watch a loved one battle Alzheimer’s disease. From early memory slips to later cognitive difficulties and mood swings, it’s painful to see someone you know disappear. Getting them the care they need becomes of the utmost importance, but making it work financially may not be all that easy for some. However, there are ways to ensure you find the proper care for Alzheimer’s patients for as long as they may need it.
Viatical Settlements
The impacts of memory loss on Alzheimer’s can be alarming for any patient and their family upon initial diagnosis. Some families opt to have documents in place to handle health care or a person’s estate upon their passing, in the time that they still are of sound mind. Some Alzheimer’s patients have opted for the use of life insurance money now rather than later. You can do this with the help of viatical settlement providers.
A viatical settlement broker will negotiate a settlement contract between a life insurance policy owner and a viatical settlement provider. A life insurance policyholder will be offered a one-time lump-sum payment that will be lesser than the death benefit on that life insurance coverage but greater than the cash surrender value. Viatical settlements are considered a viable option for patients suffering from a terminal illness to allow chronically ill patients access to funds that may cover their medical expenses or explore new treatments for their condition. Some viators have also used the funds to assure that their family members are not left with debts and other burdens upon their passing.
Government Programs
Using your personal funds to help care for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease is an option, but the fear is in that well running dry. In the United States, you can look into government-assisted programs to provide some savings for patients and their families. For example, Medicare coverage may cover certain regular care, even short stays in a nursing home to care for a hospital-related medical condition.
Some Alzheimer’s patients may qualify for Medicaid, a combined federal and state insurance program for low-income people and their family members. This covers the cost of medical care and some forms of long-term care. Some states also offer PACE or Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. PACE is a Medicare program that provides care and services to people who otherwise need care in a nursing home. This program permits most Alzheimer’s patients or those at risk of Alzheimer’s to continue at-home care instead of the need for a long-term care facility. That may, however, come at a monthly charge.
Memory Care Programs
One of the early warning signs for Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss. An Alzheimers brain sees cognitive function declines, brought on by a build-up of amyloid plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. This causes the death of brain cells and the breakdown of connections between them. Those plaques are dense deposits of proteins outside and around the brain’s nerve cells. Those tangles are twisted fibers built up inside the nerve cells. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, nerve cells, or neurons, begin to shrink and die. This causes the brain itself to sharing and the wrinkles along its surface to become smoother. The result is a further decline of the patient.
Some doctors recommend memory care programs to assure the safety of an Alzheimer’s patient at all times. Staff in these memory care programs differ from assisted living in their knowledge of dementia techniques, as well as specific memory-enhancing activities and therapies. Memory care programs also have 24-hour surveillance for round-the-clock response and safety, assuring that your loved ones are being handled with tender care for their Alzheimer’s symptoms.