Going Home From a Nursing Home

Did you know that in more and more states that Medicaid will help fund home health aides so that you can leave a nursing home and get help at home? This is really welcome news, which was featured in an article in the New York Times on September 19, 2009.

I took my mother out of a nursing home and enabled her to live in an apartment with home health aides caring for her for a good five years. Those years were a blessing to her. In Connecticut, we now have laws that enable the Medicaid money to follow the patient. This is very helpful to families and individuals, while being fiscally prudent. Aging at home tends to be much more cost-efficient than aging in a nursing home.

Here is the link to the article and a synopsis:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/health/policy/19aging.html

Health / Health Care Policy

Helping Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for a Home

By JOHN LELAND

Published: September 19, 2009

More states are aiming to disprove the notion that once people have settled into a nursing home, they will stay.