The Benefits of Care Coordination

What is Long Term Care?
Long term care is needed when someone is losing his or her independence. It is for people who need assistance with activities of daily living or have a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Activities of daily living are the basic tasks most of us take for granted - eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring positions (moving from a bed to a chair), and continence. Couples face a significant chance that one spouse will enter a long-term care facility over age 65.
What is Care Coordination?
ARTA's long term care plan not only helps to bridge the financial gap between the services provided by the government and the cost of care you would otherwise have to pay out-of-pocket, it also gives you access to a Care Coordinator, a patient advocate. The Care Coordinator will assess your needs, develop a plan of care to access benefits under your ARTA Plan, and provide you with information about community resources and providers. The Care Coordinator will work with you and your family to ensure that as your needs change over time, your plan of care is adjusted to meet those needs.

The Value of Care Coordination
When you need long term care services, securing the best type and quality of care can seem daunting. That is why care coordination services are so valuable. Most people have little knowledge of, or experience with, long term care decision-making. It is not something you learn about until the need exists in your own family or circle of friends, often when it is an emergency. It is important to recognize that the quality of care can vary greatly. There are good providers and there are those who are functioning at a minimal level of quality, but the differences may not be readily apparent to you. Care coordinators can help you find quality providers in your area and communicate service availability, quality and costs. Gaining access to this level of detail allows you to make a knowledgeable decision about which provider it best for you or your loved one. next column >>>

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Care coordination not only provides you and your family with information, it offers emotional support at a very difficult time. No one should feel as though they have to go through it alone. Care coordinators are experienced, trusted resources there to help.

Individualized Service
What many plan participants like especially about care coordination is that it is highly personal. Each plan participant builds a relationship with one nurse who knows the particulars of the situation. That means participants talk with the same person each time, even as their care and needs change. Consistency of support is very important and care coordination can be a pillar of support for you and your family.

- Developing, implementing and monitoring resident care plans,
- Updating the standards of care and services.

Care coordination can help to alleviate some of these concerns. For more information on ARTA's Long Term Care Insurance Plan, call 1-877-LTC PLAN or visit the website:

www.johnson.ca/LTC

Wellness Subcommittee Report
Ralph Levinson

To date the Benefits Committee's primary activity has been focused on operating the Health and Dental insurance programs. Additional insurance coverages have been added to run out a comprehensive coverage opportunity for our members. Last spring an additional aspect was approved by the committee, namely the creation of a program to encourage and support our members in adopting healthier lifestyles. The areas of physical, nutritional and social well being were identified as components that the program might address. The challenge for the committee is to design a program that can meet the needs of our diverse membership. The diversity is geographic, physical condition, age/interests and access to recreational facilities. Research has commenced into programming options and a report will be ready for the committee early in the new year.