Spread Thin: Recent Episodes
Marilee Masternick
A podcast for the Sandwich Generation. Have aging parents? This podcast is for you. We will discuss all topics related to senior care. We will cover levels of care, advocacy, hospice, home care, assisted livings, rehab, hospital stays and so much more. Each episode we will cover a topic and take questions from listeners.
We talk with Emily, owner of Senior Servicing. For over 30 years Senior Servicing has been a trusted advisor to ensure people of all ages receive the most from their healthcare coverage. We talk with Emily about the upcoming open enrollment and what people can and should do to prepare. We also touch on the billing aspect and what to look for on bills. Emily provides a wealth of knowledge about Medicare Part D, Part A, Part B and then Advantage plans.
This episode is different from what we usually do. I interviewed my grandma to get her perspective on aging. We talk about decisions she has made, when to move and help is needed. Our family talks very openly about her aging and a few things were still a surprise to me.
Transitioning from child to adult caregiver can either happen overnight or can be a gradual process. Either way, it's a big change. All parties involved typically are in new roles and wanting to do the best they can, but it is hard. Kim and Marybeth take us through their journey and talk about what it looked like, how they coped, resources they used and most surprising things they can upon.
We interview Dr. Tobias Banks who is a Hospitalist at a large hospital system in Ohio. He talks about what to expect when you or someone you know comes into the ER and is admitted. We review main reasons for admit, what to do upon discharge and what you can do to be prepared. If you have an aging parent that has had a hospital visit you need to listen to this.
We talk about ALLLL the different levels of care. We start with the brick and mortar and talk about Independent Livings, Assisted Livings and Skilled Nursing Facilities. From there we talk about Home Health Care, Home Care, Hospice and any other services involved. It can be confusing but our guest Jess Masternick does a nice job of explaining them.
Hospice is such an important aspect of senior care. Its often misunderstood and not used to its fullest benefit. On this episode we talk With Rachel Orban about where you can receive hospice, who pays for it, and what it entails. Rachel gives us her insight to hospice having been in the business since 2007. She also talks about her personal experience using hospice for her step-dad.
Notes from Episode:
4:38 How to pay for Hospice. Rachel talks about how the Medicare benefit, Medicare Replacement Plan, or Managed Medicare Plan will cover at 100%.
8:19 Who is part of your Hospice Team and what are the expectations for visits from your team. We talk about Shower Aides, Nurses, Chaplains, Social Workers and Medical Directors.
12:43 Relationship between your Primary Care Physician and the Hospice Medical Director. We also touch on criteria for hospice.
15:32 What hospice pays for when it relates to the diagnosis.
19:05 What is the criteria for hospice and how do you know if your loved one is ready for hospice. Rachel gives steps to the getting started and what you do first.
29:05 The role of the Medical Director and questions you should ask when looking for a hospice company.
31.07 Rachel talks about her process of picking a hospice company for her family member.
40.29 We take questions about when you know hospice is ready. Is there a living will? How have the last 60 days been? Are they having more bad days than good days. Rachel talks about her process of picking a hospice company for her family member.
As an industry we tend to use a lot of acronyms and it can be confusing. This quick bonus footage gives you the definition of the most popular. For instance, a SNF is a skilled nursing facility, AL is an Assisted Living.
We talk all things Assisted Living with Jill Nowacki. Jill is a RN and the Vice President of Clinical Services for an Assisted Living company. She gives us a good nursing perspective when it comes to Assisted Living. We talk about the initial admission process and then what to expect when you are living there.