They want to give my husband physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the assisted living facility. I don't feel it will help and I can't handle another expense. Any opinions?
I have been told that some places push therapy because it is an additional income-producer for them. They can charge for each therapy session in addition to what is being paid monthly for your loved one's care.
If you think that therapy will not help your husband (and as spouses, we usually know!), let them know that. Physical therapy can be uncomfortable, if not painful, and other kinds of therapy could be very frustrating if your husband has trouble following directions or working independently.
They may be trying to make themselves look better in terms of the state audits. (I don't know what state you live in, or how strict their regulations are.) If they can document that they offered these services, and also document that the family refused them, then the facility is off the hook with the state. I don't understand what they think PT, OT, and Speech are going to do for an Alzheimers client. The therapies aren't going to do anything to maintain or restore function, so what is the point? Is there something I'm not "getting" here?
As Jan says, many facilities offer the therapy sessions because they produce additional income. Medicare has strict limits on # hours/week they will pay for...something like a hour a day, but they will pay.
Most people with dementia are unable to follow the prescribed PT/OT protocols, even with assistance so the therapy doesn't make much if any difference. Passive PT might maintain muscle strength and flexibility for a while. If the reason someone is losing their speech because that area of the brain is dying and they don't have the ability to regenerate the nerve cells, I don't see how speech therapy can help. My 2 cents.
My husband got some therapy even though he had been on hospice at home before he went into the nursing home. Medicare paid for it and he said he wanted to do it, so I agreed. I wanted them to solve some problems with his posture and positioning, and I thought he would get the most help if they could put him in their rehab category. I asked for the speech therapy as well because speech therapists also work with swallowing issues. I wouldn't pay for anything above and beyond what Medicare pays for. In nursing homes at least they provide aides to help the person with walking regularly and other basic help as part of the included services.