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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
All I was looking for was why my aunt was legally entitled to via Medicare. Why be cagey about that? Surely there is a directive?[/quote]

OP, I'm a caregiver for my husband, and I get where you are coming from.

The entire system is set up to assume and expect that the "loved one" will do everything to take care of the patient.  With no training and certainly no compensation from the insurance company.

I learned that there is a diagnostic code that essentially says something like "no caregiver able or willing"

Here it is:

[quote]The following code(s) above Z74.2 contain annotation back-references that may be applicable to Z74.2:

Z00-Z99  Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
Z74  Problems related to care provider dependency

Approximate Synonyms
No able caregiver in household

ICD-10-CM Z74.2 is grouped within Diagnostic Related Group(s) (MS-DRG v39.0):
951 Other factors influencing health status[/quote]

The Social Worker doesn't have anything to do with a diagnosis of course.  But I assume her life is made easier if there is an able caregiver. [b]Otherwise she has to do more work to ensure care for the patient.[/b][/quote]

Social worker here and I just want to emphasize it is [i]not[/i] our job to "ensure care" for the patient. If the patient is competent to make their own decisions and doesn't choose to hire help or declines the paltry amount of care Medicare generally pays for (think 1-2 visits per week from a RN lasting about 30 mins at a time) then there isn't much we can do. We can report to Adult Protective Services if we have active safety concerns -- generally they do nothing unless there is a question of competency. The landscape is bleak, but the issue is not that it's easier for me if the family takes care of it. There really isn't much else to offer. If someone is admitted to the hospital then I suppose they could get one of those ICD diagnoses and potentially be placed in a nursing facility, but that isn't really something I would be involved in. [/quote]

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