St. John’s Joins RBJ’s Panel on Elder Care
St. John’s Director of Community Relations and Admissions Korin Reynolds joined local professionals as a speaker for the Rochester Business Journal’s “Senior and Elder Care Planning” virtual panel. Reynolds brought her decades of senior healthcare expertise to the discussion, going over the common questions she receives from older adults and family members making the transition into long-term care.
I Wish I Knew: Navigating the Healthcare Maze
Following a discussion on Medicaid and financial planning, Reynolds presented “I Wish I Knew: Navigating the Healthcare Maze.” She started by calling her presentation the “culmination of all the things that people have told me they wish they knew.” Before starting a healthcare journey in long-term care or rehabilitation, Reynolds suggests completing advance directives. “My strongest advice would be to get your advance directives in order, to have a power of attorney in place, to have a healthcare proxy in place, a living will, and to have people named who are going to act in your best interest if you are unable to do so,” said Reynolds.
Local Resources
She emphasized the importance of becoming familiar with local resources as early as possible. “There are resources everywhere for folks,” she said. “Lifespan is huge, senior centers offer a lot of information — a lot of educational classes, and then there’s GRAPE, which has a listing of every type of resource in the area.”
Reynolds also recommends finding a trusted financial planner and/or elder law attorney. She said that not working with an attorney who specializes in elder law or who has experience with older adult healthcare can “inhibit people’s ability to acquire the care that they need at the time that they need it.”
Education and Advocacy
Reynolds said that education and proper advocacy are vital as “people thrive at the appropriate level of care.”
“The education piece enables you to advocate, and conversely, the advocacy helps you educate the people who are taking care of your loved one, so that they’re getting what they need, when they need it, wherever they are, ” she said.
Reynolds noted that being aware of the differences between a continuum of care and a stand-alone senior community is important when making decisions. She explained that if a person starts at a lower level of care, like in an independent living setting, and eventually requires more care, if the person is in a continuum of care, he/she has “somewhere to go.”
Continuum of Care
“There is priority placement for you at the end of that continuum, whereas if you’re in a standalone, and your money is spent, you don’t have a lot of options,” said Reynolds. She discussed the different levels of care that a person may need as they age, including enhanced assisted living, rehabilitation, dementia care, long-term care, and hospice. Reynolds said that a preferred nursing home can follow along with “a patient until they’re medically ready.”
“Touring places makes a huge difference when making any decision,” said Reynolds. “You want to make sure that the place you are going to be spending so much of your time will be someplace that you love.” She added that “lateral transfers” are possible if a person does not like where they are currently living. “You don’t have to stay anywhere forever.”
Asking the Right Questions
She encouraged those interested to compile or download a checklist (like this) to make sure you are asking the right questions and that “you’re getting all the information, and that you’re asking the right questions when you are overwhelmed by this kind of chaos.” Some questions to ask when touring include:
- Does the community you are touring have a license from the New York State Department of Health?
- Are social work services available to residents and their families?
- Are residents and/or families involved in care planning?
- Are nurse and emergency call buttons located at each resident’s bed and bathroom?
- Can residents choose their own clothes to wear, decorate their rooms, and keep a few prized possessions in their rooms?
- Is the home certified to participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid programs?
By tapping into trusted local resources, asking the right questions, and advocating early and often, individuals can make confident, informed decisions that honor their needs and protect their well-being. As Reynolds reminds us, the path through senior healthcare does not have to be “daunting.” With knowledge and support, families can move forward with clarity, dignity, and peace of mind.
The panel also included Kelly Gusmano, partner at Woods Oviatt Gilman; Dan Lyon, fraud and scam identity theft program manager at Lifespan of Greater Rochester; and facilitating the panel was Ben Jacobs, associate publisher and editor at the Rochester Business Journal and The Daily Record. The virtual program was sponsored by St. John’s and Woods Oviatt Gilman.