Balwant N. Dixit, Ph. D.

Professor of Pharmacology (Emeritus)

608 Ravencrest Road, Pittsburgh, PA  15215 USA

Phone:  (412) 963-8023        e-mail:  bdixit@pitt.edu

In the January 2015 issue of Pittsburgh Patrika I wrote about an unexpected medical emergency my wife, Vidya faced during our short visit to Washington DC.  After her return to Pittsburgh by ambulance, Longwood at Home (LaH), a Continuing Care at Home (CCAH) Program, provided Vidya excellent help when it was most needed. LaH is located in the Pittsburgh area providing services to members that reside in the five county areas in Western Pennsylvania (i.e. Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland).  Vidya and I became members of LaH  three years ago and have been very satisfied with the services its staff has provided to us. I hope that readers of Pittsburgh Patrika will find the following information about CCAH programs useful.

Continuing Care at Home (CCAH) Programs and their Locations:  CCAH programs, a unique alternative to Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) are not very common but are expected to expand in the future as “baby boomers” retire.  This mode of service delivery is ideal for the middle-income seniors who choose not to move into one of the traditional Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) which are usually quite costly, still receiving the full continuum of care similar to a CCRC.  At present, CCAH programs are available in six states; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland and Delaware.  Most offer portability within the USA after being a member for a year or more.  A CCAH program in California (CA) is in its final stages of legislative approval. Details about LaH and Friends Life Care (FLC), a CCAH program located near Philadelphia, PA, provides similar services to the residents of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware (DE).

(1) Longwood at Home: LaH (http://www.longwoodathome.org), is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance and is a unique alternative to Long Term Care insurance (LTCI).  LaH is affiliated with Presbyterian SeniorCare, an accredited Aging Services Network (http://www.srcare.org/).

The following are important features of Longwood at Home: (i) Service & Care Options:  One-time enrollment fee and low monthly fee provides a member access to a continuum of services right in your home. A portion of the fees (usually around 85%) is Federal Tax deductible since it is attributable toward medical expenses. LaH membership guarantees the very best private duty and facility- based care as your needs change. (ii) Care Coordination & Care Continuum:  As a member of LaH, a personal Care Coordinator is assigned to you, and can arrange any service you might require.  In the event of an emergency, Care Coordination staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As your needs change, LaH can coordinate a variety of care options from companion/homemaker services, to licensed home healthcare and home care aide services and live-in assistance. (iii) Home Inspection: During the first year of membership and every other year thereafter, LaH provides a licensed therapist to do a safety and functional inspection of your home and make modification recommendations.  (iv) Transportation: LaH provides transportation both ways for medically necessary outpatient procedures and for hospitalizations. A care giver always accompanies a member during such appointments. LaH can also assist with transportation coordination for other needs, such as routine doctor visits, however members are responsible for the costs for such visits.  (v) Coverage Options: LaH offers six levels of coverage for healthy adults age 60 and over.  Each offers the opportunity to remain independent in one’s home, services of a  professional Care Coordinator, with access to a lifetime of excellent, affordable care and services as your needs change. (vi) Insurance: Members are required to maintain Medicare A & B insurance plus Medicare Supplemental Insurance (a Medigap plan) or a Medicare Advantage Plan, both being offered by private insurance carriers. (vii) Residential requirements: One must be a resident of the five county area of Western Pennsylvania on the day he or she decides to enroll.  (viii) Portability: Arrangements can be made for providing similar services at no extra cost, for a member who has completed at least one year with LaH, while travelling or residing outside the service area of the five counties, but within the USA, (ix) LaH Membership for those who have Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI): A person with LTCI can become a member of LaH.  If the policy holder meets the criteria for LTCI coverage (i.e. inability to perform two activities of daily living for 90 days or severe cognitive impairment) his LTCI policy can be used to pay the monthly premium for LaH. LaH does what the LTCI carrier will not do, in that LaH offers personal care coordination and immediate response – any change in health or functional status or inability to perform one activity of daily living – no waiting period. However, if one stops paying premiums for LTCI, coverage will cease.

(2) Friends Life Care (FLC):  Founded in 1985, FLC is a nonprofit Quaker organization serving eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware ((http://friendslifecare.site-ym.com).  FLC is regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance as a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), and like LaH provides professional care management, home care and related personal care services.  Headquartered near Philadelphia, PA, FLC operates in eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. Residents of both states qualify for membership. The plan is portable for members who relocate within the PA or DE or the USA—either to another state or region, or into another living arrangement, including downsizing to an apartment or a fee-for-service retirement community. For members who relocate, and for those who like to travel, FLC arranges care through affiliated organizations that meet their rigid standards of excellence. FLC extends membership to adults aged 40 to 81 who are in reasonably good health and living independently but not currently in a facility.

Acknowledgment: Advice given by Grace Smith of LaH, Sudhir Manohar and Girish Godbole is gratefully acknowledged.   End