JoAnn Brown, right, helps her client Betty Kilgore color with crayons during craft time at Serenity adult day care early Monday afternoon.IF YOU GOThe seventh annual Pearl White Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Chattanooga Convention Center. General admission is $60. Funds provide scholarships for low-income seniors’ services such as adult day care, in-home care and assisted living services. For more information, go to www.sharonseniorservices.com or call 423-698-2611IF YOU GOA senior expo is scheduled 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 7 at Second Missionary Baptist Church. The event will include venders and several speakers discussing elderly care options. Vending space is $150.BY THE NUMBERS• 23,705: People served by TennCare’s long-term care system• $1.1 billion: Tennessee’s financial share for long-term elderly care per year• 321: Number of Tennessee nursing homes• 11: Nursing homes in Hamilton County• 1,091: People in nursing homes in Hamilton County• $80,000: Average cost per year for nursing home care nationallySource: Kaiser Health News, carepathways.comSENIOR CAPABILITIESActivities of daily living used to determine Medicaid funding• Personal hygiene and grooming• Dressing and undressing• Self-feeding• Functional transfers — getting into and out of bed or wheelchair, getting onto or off toilet, etc.• Bowel and bladder management• Ambulation — walking without use of an assistive device such as a walker, cane, or crutches or using a wheelchairSource: TennCare
DeNessa Cartwright, owner of Serenity, center, tells a story about her family while working with her clients at Serenity adult day care early Monday afternoon.It’s going to be harder for low-income seniors to qualify for a nursing home, and some people may get less money for adult day care or home care, according to TennCare officials.
Before this summer, some elderly people could qualify for up to $55,000 for nursing home, adult day care or assisted living care because they couldn’t groom themselves, one of several standards TennCare uses to measure a person’s ability to handle the activities of daily life.
But as of July 1, being deficient in one activity is no longer enough to qualify for nursing home care and receive the maximum funding. TennCare will take an overall assessment of a person’s level of need before allocating the highest level of funding, officials said.
Low-income seniors who don’t receive the highest level of funding will get up to $15,000 a year that may go toward home health care or an adult day care facility, said Kelly Gunderson, TennCare director of communications. People who believe they need more money may call their health care coordinator for another health assessment, she said.