Medicare Advocacy through Homecare Ministry

The Medicare Advocacy through Homecare Ministry project is a spin-off of the MN Medicare Advocacy Project.  It is designed to put advocacy into action and will demonstrate the ideal Medicare-reimbursed home health services plan.  We will implement an example of PRO-ACTIVE COMPLIANCE with the Medicare Conditions of Participation and assist Home Health Aides to form their own worker-owned staffing services.

The Demonstration Project has two parts:

1. TRAINING

A home health aide training program that complies with the revised Medicare training  requirements set forth in the 2008 Conditions of Participation for Medicare hospice patients. The training will take place at a senior housing or assisted living facility. We will use the Home Health Aide Training Standards established by the New York Health Department which comply with the new Medicare standards.

2.  EMPOWERMENT

The formation of a worker-owned home health aide franchise similar to the co-op care program in Wisconsin. Home Health Aides will be empowered to become Certified Medicare Advocates and Eldercare Activists.   Pat Conway and three team members will teach Medicare Advocacy and Eldercare Activism, using the Medicare Advocacy CD and offer a retreat on "Hospice and Dementia Care as a Spiritual Practice".

This Project will demonstrate how Medicare-certified home health agencies can outsource their chronic, long term Medicare clients to the Medicare-compliant, worker-owned staffing service.

We have applied to the Alliance for a New Humanity (www.anhglobal.org) for a grant for seed money to make this effort a reality.