July 26 Meeting: The Dilemma of Hospital Discharge Planning

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The Dilemma of Hospital Discharge Planning
Caroline Cadirao, Grants Manager, Executive Office on Aging


The Executive Office on Aging received federal money to develop a comprehensive plan that would empower consumers of all ages to make informed decisions about their options, to streamline access to the services and to support them and their family caregivers. The grant includes developing a system that would help non-Medicaid people avoid institutional placement as long as possible. The goals are to:

• Develop a hospital discharge planning model that meaningfully engages patient input and participation and maximizes the opportunity for patients to return home with home and community based services.

• Establish a fully functioning Aging and Disability Resource Center that is easily accessible to the public and responsive to their needs for information and linkages to long-term care options.

• Streamline the screening, intake, assessment and eligibility determination to reduce paperwork, confusion and frustration in accessing long-term supports.

At this point, task forces have been organized and timelines established. Members of the audience suggested areas to be considered such as, including discharge planning in emergency rooms; training and oversight of discharge planners; gathering statistics to evaluate the program such as re-hospitalization numbers and follow-up protocols.

“Graying of Hawaii” now available on-line, documents an on-going scandal

by Larry Geller

With a growing senior population, you’d think that the state and county governments would be planning for the coming wave. More than just a responsibility, there are opportunities in caregiving that can help diversify our tourist-based economy.

You’d think. A 56 minute documentary produced by Marc Delorme and Audrey Kubota shows that Hawaii appears unprepared for the reality of its changing demographics.

The State of Hawaii has one of the fastest growing aging populations in the nation. A long term-care crisis is already here, with a shortage of nursing home beds and a lack of affordable services enabling senior citizens to “age-in-place” at home.  This documentary explores how some “inconvenient patients” from Hawaii were quietly shipped to the US mainland, in some cases without their families being notified.  The narrative questions statewide planning and the government’s response to the changing demographics.

That’s right. This film, released in 2009 and the subject of a 2-hour special on PBS Hawaii, revealed that one of our leading hospitals had been shipping its older patients out to a second-rate nursing home in Ohio. Were it not for this documentary, that practice might still be ongoing today. That scandal is just one that the documentary reveals, but for me, the most powerful.

Can you imagine Grandma is in the hospital one day and… gone?… the next? Check it out in the video. Fact.

The video is available from any public library, but you can visit Delorme’s website, marcdelorme.com, to view it in HD clarity on your computer screen.

[Disclosure: I’m in it]

July 26 Program: The Dilemma of Hospital Discharge Planning

Monday, July 26, 2010

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Miyama Main Hall, Harris United Methodist Church
Nuuanu Ave. and South Vineyard Blvd.
Ample parking - driveway off Nuuanu Ave.

Agenda:
11:30    Luncheon: Various pizzas, Salad, and Dessert-$5.00 Donation

11:45    Welcome, Introductions and Remarks, Larry Geller, President

12:00    Program: The Dilemma of Hospital Discharge Planning. 
Speakers:  Nancy Moser and Caroline Cadirao, Grants Managers for Executive Office on Aging   

12:30      Questions and Answers

12:45    Announcements

1:00 Adjourn 

Seniors can apply for Farmers Market voucher booklets

Spread the word. From the Hawaii Foodbank web page:

The Hawaii Foodbank will be distributing Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program voucher booklets worth $50.00 at its member agencies around the island. Our goal is to provide fresh and locally-grown fruits and vegetables for our seniors. Vouchers are redeemable at any City & County People’s Open Market vendors certified for this program from June – October 31, 2010.

Here are the requirements:

• Must be 60 years of age or older; AND
• Have a household annual income of less than $23,051 for single person or $31,006 for a couple

for information and an application form, click here. If you know someone who could benefit from this program, why not direct them to the web page or print out a form for them.