News
We have a request of our family members in regard to the funding for Medicaid that is currently under scrutiny. Late last week a bill was introduced into the Senate which would have devastating effects on nearly all of the skilled nursing communities in the state, as well as the nation. Our sector of health care is one that heavily relies on Medicaid as a pay source to provide care for the majority of the frail elders living in our state in skilled nursing communities. The short portion of this bill is that it is looking to make some major cuts to Medicaid funding that will impact some of the state’s unique programs that focus on a quality of life for those we serve, such as the Pay for Performance program. It’s looking to reduce the reimbursement of Medicaid by 20% by 2025. It’s a staggering cut that would devastate many communities and make the future of caring for our elderly a bit uncertain.
We are asking family members to make phone calls this week as there is a vote occurring this Friday that our senators will be voting on. The bill is called “Better Care Reconciliation Act” and we are asking that you follow this here link or reach out via phone to Senator Corey Gardner at 202-224-5941
Here are the talking points if you need more information from the American Health Care Association;
- Point 1: The recently introduced “Better Care Reconciliation Act” contains devastating cuts to Medicaid. This bill has cuts that are even more severe than the House version.
- Point 2: The Medicaid growth rate for aged and disabled populations is cut starting in 2025. This, over time, results in a 20% Medicaid cut to providers.
- Point 3: Provider Tax program is cut from 6% to 5%, costing states over $10 billion and reducing state flexibility to fund the Medicaid program.
- Point 4: The quality of nursing center care is better than ever. Providers across the country are lowering costs and achieving better outcomes. This is the worst time to cut funding.
- Point 5: The majority of older adults and virtually all persons with disabilities are reliant upon Medicaid for pay for long-term services and supports. As Americans age, Medicaid financing will become even more vital than in the past.
- Point 6: Medicaid already underfunds nursing care. Medicaid only reimburses 89 cents for every dollar of allowable nursing center cost.
- Point 7: This bill is bad for assisted living providers and residents too. 1 in 6 assisted living residents relies on Medicaid for their daily long term care. Many states may further restrict eligibility and enrollment, creating longer waiting lists for a population that cannot wait for long term care.
What an exciting time of the year for our Elders and families here at the Green House. As the days get longer and the weather is permitting, things start happening.
Sunshine and Watering… You guessed it!
We have started the planting of our gardens. This is a process all in itself, as we choose what vegetables and flowers each home would like to grow. Then the shopping for our plants and the exact timing of when the plants should be planted certainly depends on the view of the Elders in our houses. I loved hearing their different thoughts on how to proceed in the planting process and the joy it brings to so many as we plan for the big day. As you have heard the children from a nearby school have joined us to learn the art of gardening from our Elders. Which brings me to one of our Eden Principles we model here at Green House Homes: An Elder Centered Community creates opportunity to give as well as receive. The Elders find such connectedness with these children by teaching them what they know so well. Shelly our Life Enrichment Coordinator has done a beautiful job of connecting our Elders with our community here in Loveland.
As we say at The Green House Homes…. Greenhouse as one word grow things like plants, trees etc.… Green House as two words Grow People.
It’s that time of year again!! Time for our community and countless others to celebrate Nursing Home Week. We have a flyer that offers each of the items we plan to do next week to celebrate this year’s theme, “The Spirit of America”.
Monday we are celebrating the heritage of all those who have made this country the melting pot that it is. Monday we celebrate International Heritage by having themed lunches from various countries. We are excited for the variety of fun foods that we will be having in our homes. This will kick off a full week of themed lunches for our Houses.
Tuesday will be Colorado Day, in which we will spend the day sampling craft beer from our great state as well as sharing history of the state along with a bit of trivia. The beer tasting will go from house to house starting in Pioneer House at 3pm. Moving toward Husker House with a goal of arrival in our last house about 5pm. Our state has some unique types of beer and we are excited to show a few of those off to our Elders.
Wednesday we are having Patriotic Day. We are encouraging everyone to wear their best Red, White and Blue and show their spirit. The always entertaining Steve Manshel will perform some classic patriotic songs at 2pm in front of the Admin Building.
Thursday we are having Farmer’s Day. This will feature a visit from a local petting zoo as well as our planned day to plant our gardens around campus. A few flowers have been planted around our community but we will be starting in various houses about 10am to plant. If any family members would like to join us, please let us know and we can coordinate for you.
Friday will be Baseball Day. We will be celebrating with a T Ball game on our green to the north of Tranquility House. Appropriate game time snacks and beverages will be served to assist everyone in enjoying the game. We hope the competitive spirit from last year’s game remains as it was a rowdy afternoon.
Thanks to our families and Elders for helping us celebrate the week and enjoying our community with us.
-John Stewart
Green House Home Guide
The High Plains School kindergarten class has been visiting our community recently and plans to continue a partnership with our community and their school for years to come.
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This will focus on growing together, helping to show that our Elders are the same people as their grandparents. Exposing these students to our Elders offers a benefit for the students to grow and learn as well as our Elders to gain from the experience of guiding and interacting with the students. Our partnership began with a problem the students needed to solve; “Our Elders need more friends” was the challenge they were tasked with. They have made visits to our community to build relationships and have begun a letter writing effort to share pictures and letters with our Elders. The students have also left a mail box behind for our Elders to send them letters. It was a delight to watch the interactions and excitement from the last visit. The students have created a video to help show their plan to improve our Elders lives, please take a look at the video as well as some of the recent pictures from their last visit.
Click Here to Open Flyer
