August 20, 2009
Help Needed to Move the Medicare Adult Day Services Bill HR-3043 Forward
Did you contact your legislators?
Moving the Medicare Adult Day Services Bill Forward
Would you facilitate 10 letters from your state to your member of Congress if it increased the chance that adult day services could become covered by Medicare? Thirteen cosponsors have now been secured in the House. Legislators have told us that receiving only 10 positive letters requesting their support would move them to sponsor a Bill. Can we count on you, your family members, volunteers and participants to contact your legislators to make it happen?
The Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2009, HR 3043 that was introduced by Representative Linda Sanchez (CA-39) now needs to be introduced in the Senate.
This legislation allows Medicare beneficiaries to use adult day service programs that are certified, licensed or accredited under an approved accreditation agency to provide post-acute services under Medicare. Medicare adult day services agencies would be required to follow the same strict regulations under the prospective agencies would be required to follow the same strict regulations under the prospective payment system and conditions of participation as Medicare-certified home health agencies.
Please urge your members of Congress and Senators to introduce and/or co-sponsor this legislation so quality adult day services could be a post-acute care option for older adults and persons with a disability. Check out action on HB 3043 at www.house.gov. Listed below are links to the Bill, sample communication to legislators, as well as an Issue Brief. Please adapt the sample communication linked below that you can e-mail to your representatives in Congress.
Contact Senate for Medicare Adult Day Services Act
Contact Congress for Medicare Adult Day Services
Medicare Adult Day Services Bill
Medicare Adult Day Services Issue Brief
Please copy NADSA on your correspondence so we can follow up with your Representative’s office.
For more information about the Medicare Adult Day Services Bill, Contact Peter Notarstefano, NADSA Public Policy Chair, at (202) 508-9406 or email him at pnotarstefano@aahsa.org
Fore more information on the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), log on to www.nadsa.org or contact us at info@nadsa.org, 1-877-745-1440.
Alzheimer’s Disease and a Healthy Home-Care Diet
Learn how Alzheimer’s disease changes eating habits and how caregivers can ensure that their loved one follows a healthy diet.
By Chris Lliades, MD
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MS, MPH
If you are providing home care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, making sure they’re eating enough healthy foods can be a challenge. “People with Alzheimer’s disease routinely lose weight, and as the disease gets worse, they may forget to eat at all or just lose interest in food. In addition, many people with Alzheimer’s disease are agitated a lot of the time, and this burns a tremendous amount of calories,” says Lisa Gwyther, MSW, the director of the family support program at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C.
Planning meals can be challenging, especially if you have other family members depending on you. But with some knowledge of what to expect when providing home care, meal times don’t have to be a chore every single day.
Click here to continue reading expert advice for providing a nourishing, healthy diet for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease.
**Family Alliance provides clients with two hot meals and nutritious snacks when they enroll in our Dementia Day Program or Adult Day Health Program. Meals are individualized and catered to clients’ health and diet restrictions. For more information on Family Alliance programs please call (815)338-3590 or visit http://familyallianceinc.org
