glad, the one I'm thinking about may have only been 6 weeks. I couldn't remember exactly how long it was. GA, my parents both had this home health routine prescribed a few years ago. It is up to the doctor to request it. Medicare won't pay for long, which is understandable. Even a few weeks is expensive.
I do wonder how much it would cost just to have a PT or an OT visit if it wasn't covered by insurance.
L had therapy services come in for about six weeks, I think. They had to report on L every couple of weeks related to progress. Once a plateau was reached the therapy was discontinued. Once he decided he did not want the therapy any longer. Once the therapist determines continued therapy is not an advatage, then Medicare ceased to pay for it.
Liz, the doctor has to prescribe therapy services at home. Is your loved one mobile? Memory excercises were never prescribed in our experience. However, the socialization and exercises may help with the brain function. Are the memory issues new? Is the therapy necessary because of a recent surgery? Often when a general anesthetic is used on the elderly an issue that develops post surgery is memory loss. Sometimes this is only temporary as in L's situation. But, unfortunately, sometimes memory loss is permanent which is one reason that any general anesthesia procedures require very careful consideration before deciding to proceed with any surgical procedures.
Jessie, I wasn't aware of this program. Does it have a specific designation or name? I thought that kind of home care by Medicare was subject to nursing and therapy evaluations, which in my experience generally don't last much longer than about a month.
kterliz, your father's doctor will need to prescribe the care. The doctor can arrange for the therapists to visit your father in his home. I don't know if anyone would be able to assist with memory issues, but there is a program that includes PT, OT, a nurse, and a bathing assistant for about 10 weeks. This is covered under Medicare. You can also hire them for longer, but Medicare will only cover the initial 10 weeks.
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I do wonder how much it would cost just to have a PT or an OT visit if it wasn't covered by insurance.
Liz, the doctor has to prescribe therapy services at home. Is your loved one mobile? Memory excercises were never prescribed in our experience. However, the socialization and exercises may help with the brain function. Are the memory issues new? Is the therapy necessary because of a recent surgery? Often when a general anesthetic is used on the elderly an issue that develops post surgery is memory loss. Sometimes this is only temporary as in L's situation. But, unfortunately, sometimes memory loss is permanent which is one reason that any general anesthesia procedures require very careful consideration before deciding to proceed with any surgical procedures.
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