Totally OT but it might help people with older parents.

...people who are so busy taking care of needy parents they are having trouble caring for themsleves.  Less than two weeks ago, we changed my mother's Medicare HMO to Caremore Touch, a program for the elderly already in Assisted Living facilities.  My mother moved in last Thursday (the 7th), met the Caremore Nurse Practioner on Friday (the 8th), and by Monday (the 11th), the lab people had already gone to her facility, drawn blood (I didn't have to take her anywhere), taken a urine sample, (I didn't have to drive THAT little bottle all over town all by myself), a prosthetics guy went to fit her for shoes (free because she has diabetes), the eye doctor's office called to schedule her for a diabetes eye check, and the program director...a doctor--and a new doctor to the program from Tucson--made a housecall to my mom's room and helped try to unravel her medication issues. 

Other than a regular Medicare charge, she pays nothing.  And I don't have to take her very many places.  For example, I will have to take her for the eye check, but they even bring in xray equipment in case someone falls at the facility.

If any of you--or your parents--are dealing with elderly relatives in facilities, give this insurance a look.  It appears that it is going to be a lifesaver for me and my sister...as we're pretty elderly ourselves...and weekly housecalls by her Nurse Practioner and monthly housecalls by her PCP will help catch stuff in the bud and keep us out of those horrid, germy, many-hours-long ER visits with an elderly relative who hardly understands where s/he is or what's going on.

Just thought I'd pass it on in the hopes that SOMEONE who is overwhelmed and running around and maybe afraid to have wls because they are so busy caring for Mom, might be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel with this kind of program.  (The Tucson doctor is one of the people at the Giffords shooting..I didn't know that until just now, in the middle of posting this, I googled his name.  Strange.)

 Thanks so much for posting this!

My mom just flew out here to help me recover after the surgery, but she flew home early because it turned out that I had to take care of her. She's 78 and fell while she was here, and I had to take her to the emergency room, and then she couldn't get out of bed. I am so worried about her (and my dad, who's 86).

Is Caremore Touch something they'd have to pay extra for, or is it just a matter of switching their carrier?  My parents currently still live in their house, but I've been worried about how to help them as they start having more difficulty getting around & caring for themselves. It doesn't help that I'm out here in AZ and they're out in CT.  They came here from Europe, so we don't even have any other family here in the U.S.  My younger brother lives with them, but he's mentally ill, though he is functional.

Sorry.  It only works once they go into an Assisted Living.  (Or nursing home.)  BUT...some ALs have respite care places where people like your parents can go "short term."  (They aren't cheap or covered by Medicare, by the way.  But they ARE cheaper--and safer--than 24/7 live-in help.)  The nicest AL I've ever visited is in Casa Grande but it's part of a chain...I think the Casa Grande was called Garnet.  The "dining room" was so nice that it was ALSO a restaurant open to the public. 

But when that time comes, it is the same as any other Medicare HMO...they just pay their Medicare as usual.  But hey, without that program my mom's incontenence suppies cost more than her entire Medicare copay and now Caremore buys the pull-ups...