Seniors Can Live A Smartlife At Home
By Cathy Molitoris; Cathy Molitoris Correspondent | |
Proquest LLC |
BY
Correspondent
At 71, Shultz and his wife, Judy, 70, have begun to envision how they'll live once they need assistance with medical and home care tasks.
With both of his parents having positive experiences at
"They took wonderful care of my parents there," he says, "and I liked
For the Shultzes, the solution was
Launched in June,
"We give the peace of mind of knowing that whatever happens, you're covered," she says. "You don't have to worry about your family advocating for you. You don't have to worry about being a burden on someone else or worry about how the health-care world is changing. You're taken care of."
According to Sipel, SmartLife is one of only 15 similar programs in the country, and the only program like it in
"Every program is a little bit different, but the basis of what each Lifecare at home program stands for is the same," she says.
Using Cadbury Consulting, a
"
Many retirement communities in the county offer home-care services, including Pleasant View,
"Home-care programs are based on fees for services," she says. "It's care based on a specific need. If someone needs companionship or help with showering or daily activities, they talk to a licensed homecare agency and then pay a fee based on the service provided."
These home-care programs are licensed through the state
"Our program is a membership-based program and it encompasses much more than home-care programs," she says. "Members pay a one- time membership fee and then pay a monthly fee thereafter."
Services provided by
"You get whatever care you might need," Sipel says. "It could be home care, like help with meals or bathing, or personal care, or nursing home care. There are all different levels of care we can offer."
Additionally, members have limited access to
Members pay the membership fee actuarially based on age and the plan chosen. The one-time fee ranges from
Monthly fees range from
SmartLife offers three types of plans, which vary depending on the amount of shared risk and cost members want, Sipel says. One plan pays 100 percent of costs. The second offers a cost-sharing plan where SmartLife covers the majority of costs and members pay the rest. The third option is a 50-50 split of coverage.
"The fee we charge is based on the plan members choose, not the services they need," she says, noting all three plans provide the same services.
SmartLife is a proactive choice for seniors, Sipel says, because members must be healthy and living independently in their home to enter the program.
"This is a way for members to proactively think about their future," she says.
The idea for SmartLife came to
"Studies have shown that 90 to 95 percent of people who are age- and income-qualified to move to a retirement community don't want to move," Sipel says. "They want to stay in their own home. They want to stay where they raised their kids and where their grandkids come to visit."
Knowing Willow Valley offered attractive retirement community options for seniors, but also knowing a large number of people didn't want to move into any community, the company began considering the new concept.
"We thought, 'How else can we share our services with people, who don't want to move?' " Sipel says. "This was the solution."
Sipel says SmartLife can be a great option for people who have already purchased long-term care insurance because it can either replace a poor policy or complement a good one.
"We have seen a ton of people who thought they had a robust long- term care policy, but when they look at what they have versus what today's real costs are, what they have is just a drop in the bucket," she says. "People have said, 'My policy covers
And while health-care costs vary and are on the increase each year, SmartLife fees are a fixed monthly amount.
"There's a level of financial protection that comes along with SmartLife because you know what your membership fee is and what your monthly fee is," she says. "It safeguards your assets and protects you if you need more expensive care down the road."
"The minimum age for enrolling with SmartLife is 60 and there is no maximum age," says Sipel. "It's a lifetime policy and there is no set number on what we consider a lifetime. Our program is very comprehensive. It covers everything to the end of the spectrum. We cover from the time of membership to end of life, and we can even help coordinate end-of-life services."
Sipel says one of the key concepts of SmartLife is the care coordination component.
"Each member is assigned to a lifecare coordinator, who's a master's degree-level social worker, who is then your advocate for anything you need," she says. "She will be there to help you through preplanned surgery, to advocate for you in the hospital, to come and visit you and make sure all your long-term needs are accounted for. Just one phone call to her and she will guide you through everything you need."
That was part of the appeal of SmartLife for
Having lost her husband and parents in the span of three years, she knew she wanted to eliminate as much of the stress and worry that accompanies the aging process as possible.
"I was looking for ideas of how I wanted to handle things for myself and how I could arrange care that wouldn't be a burden on my family," she says.
She researched local retirement communities and says she seriously considered
"I've lived in my home for 38 years," she says. "I wanted to stay here, and I really liked everything I heard about SmartLife.
"You can't plan for everything that might come up in your life, but as far as I'm concerned, this is as good a preplanning option as you can get."
To learn more about
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