Source: https://www.mcguffey.net/resources/blog/categories/general
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 01:05:38+00:00

Document:
"Home care aides, mostly women and mostly minorities, represent one of the nation’s fastest-growing occupations, increasing from 700,000 to more than 1.4 million over the past decade. Add the independent caregivers that clients employ directly through public programs, and the total rises to more than two million." Unfortunately, wages have been stagnant. One can only speculate regarding what this means as more Americans are living beyond their health. Beyond the wage issue, there is a labor capacity issue. Americans are aging at a rate that outpaces our ability to provide care AND fill other higher paying jobs. The immigration debate, which is front and center in this year's election, ignores the reality that American will either need to import labor to address it's long-term care needs, or we might need to begin exporting our elderly so they can get care.
What is it like to live in a retirement community?
A recent article published by the Huffinton Post explores what it's like to life in a retirment community. In the article, the write states "Studies have shown that people who live in retirement communities are healthier and live longer than people isolated in their own home."
"However, family caregiving can take a large financial, emotional, and physical toll on the caregiver. According to the AARP, the value of informal caregiving provided to adults was approximately $470 billion in 2013. Additionally, close to one out of 10 Americans over the age of 40 are both providing LTSS assistance to a family member and supporting a child. The emotional, social, physical, and financial burden on this “sandwich generation,” is significant."
Caregivers of those with dementia know that decision-making is challenging. The following extract from an article addresses problems with communication.
Many Americans rely on Social Security for income during retirement. Taking Social Security too early may result in a lifetime reduction of your benefit. Whether you are applying for yourself, or as based on someone else's record (such as a divorced or widowed spouse) we suggest that you speak with a financial planner who can run various scenrios showing how much you would receive if you apply early, at full retirement age, or at age 70 (or anything in between).
On July 5, 2016, in Doctors Hospital of Augusta v. Alicea, 2016 Ga. LEXIS 448 (2016), the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed lower court decisions denying a motion for summary judgment. In doing so, the Court interpreted the Georgia Advanced Directive Act, O.C.G.A. § 31-32-1 et seq., holding that it is the will of the patient or her designated agent, and not the will of the health care provider, that controls health decisions.
David Camp and Crawford Wood were business partners. After Crawford died, the busienss arraingment was restructured, with Camp conveying a property to David Wood (Crawford's son) in return for a $130,000 promissory note. Wood's plan was to pay the note off within three years.
The day after Wood executed the promissory note, Wood transferred the property received from Camp to himself and Stephen Bloom, to whom Wood was married under California law, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship. Wood then travelled to India to undergo treatment for a brain tumor. Wood died within a year and Blom became owner of the property as the sole survivoring joint tenant.
In Space Coast Credit Union v. Groce, 2016 Ga. App. LEXIS 252 (May 2, 2016), a lawsuit was filed to reinstate a first priority deed to secure debt. The creditor, Space Coast Credit Union, argued that its lien against property owned by a nursing home resident, Robert Steve Groce, was still valid because Groce's debt was not paid in full. However, a lawsuit cannot begin until the Defendant has been served, or officially notified that he or she has been sued.
Space Coast hired a private process server who went to Mr. Groce's last known home address. The process server discovered that Groce no longer lived at that address, so it looked elsewhere to find him. About a week later, the process server located Mr. Groce at a nearby nursing home. Mr. Groce was sleeping in his bed, in and out of consciousness and was unable to take the papers. The process server left them on a table next to the bed.
Are nursing home evictions on the rise?
On May 8, 2016, the Seattle Times reported that nursing home evictions are up, presumably to get rid of difficult patients. Matt Sedensky, in Nursing homes turn to evictions to drop difficult residents, available at http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nursing-homes-turn-to-eviction-to-drop-difficult-patients-2/, reported that nursing home seek to increase profits by discharging residents who require labor intensive care, thus eliminating expenses and increasing profits. Citing an Associated Press report, Sedensky reports discharges and evictions are up 57 percent since 2000. “‘When they get tired of caring for the resident, they kick the resident out,’ said Richard Mollot of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a New York advocacy group.” The article goes on to cite other stakeholders, those representing nursing home residents and the nursing home industry.
Federal and state regulations provide that a nursing home resident may not discharge a resident unless (i) The transfer or discharge is necessary for the resident's welfare and the resident's needs cannot be met in the facility; (ii) The transfer or discharge is appropriate because the resident's health has improved sufficiently so the resident no longer needs the services provided by the facility; (iii) The safety of individuals in the facility is endangered; (iv) The health of individuals in the facility would otherwise be endangered; (v) The resident has failed, after reasonable and appropriate notice, to pay for (or to have paid under Medicare or Medicaid) a stay at the facility. For a resident who becomes eligible for Medicaid after admission to a facility, the facility may charge a resident only allowable charges under Medicaid; or (vi) The facility ceases to operate. A discharge for any other reason is illegal. See 42 C.F.R. § 483.12(b).
In Williford v. Brown, 2016 Ga. Lexis 352 (May 9, 2016), Tamara Williford allaged that her step-mother, Mary Ann Brown, denied access to her father, Tommy Brown. Ms. Williford filed a Petition against Mrs. Brown in Hart County Superior Court, alleging a right to visit her father. In her petition, Ms. Williford argued she was Mr. Brown’s biological child, and that he could not leave home but "is in good mental condition and can make decisions for himself." She also argued that the two had a good relationship and used to talk on the telephone regularly, that they saw each other in person, and that her father would like to see Ms. Williford, but was prevented from doing so by Mrs. Brown. Ms. Williford sought an order allowing her unimpeded access to Mr. Brown or appointing a guardian ad litem to ascertain Mr. Brown’s wishes. Mrs. Brown filed an answer denying substantially all of Ms. Williford’s allegations.
Williford v. Brown was presented as a case in equity. In other words, Ms. Williford admitted there was no statute or case law granting a child unimpeded access or visitation right to see a parent. Instead, she argued the circumstances were unjust and the Court should exercise its powers as a court of equity to craft a remedy where none existed.

References: v. 
 § 31
 v. 
 § 483
 v. 
 v.