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8 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | FEBRUARY 2019 | Question: If I take my loved one to a facility and they pass away…do I get reimbursed any money? YES you do. I want to share a story with you that happened about three months ago to a wonderful lady and her daughter who just recently lost their husband/father. This women's husband fell at home, was sent to the hospital and then was sent to a skilled nursing facility here in Hemet. It was clear to everyone that this sweet little old man only had days to live. He had only been at the skilled nursing facility for four days when the social service woman called a meeting with the wife and daughter. She had the wife and daughter come into her office where she had a representative of a hospice in the room and an administrator of a RCFE (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly, i.e. Board and Care or Assisted Living) also in the room. The social service woman then told the wife that you are going to use this hospice for your husband and you are going to have to take him to this RCFE because you will not be able to care for him at home. She then said that the amount of the RCFE is $3,500 per month, non-reimbursable. The woman agreed to the pay because she just didn't know what to do. They were emotional, scared, sad and being pushed by this social services woman. That same day she moved her husband to this RCFE and he died in four days. There are many things that took place in this situation that you, as a reader, need to know about so it won't happen to you. The social services woman should have given choices in the very beginning of RCFE's and hospices. The RCFE is at fault because there is a new regulation that took effect on Jan. 1, 2014, Assembly Bill 261 that prohibits RCFE's from imposing charges after the death of a resident once all personal belongings to the deceased resident has been removed from the facility. The facility is required to refund fees paid in advance covering the time after the resident's personal property has been removed from the facility. In the above case, the wife paid $3,500 and this took place in the month of October. October has 31 days so you divide $3,500 by 31 days and it is $112 per day. Since he only lived four days, this woman should be reimbursed $3,024. So do not let anyone tell you that you will not get reimbursed should your love one die in a RCFE. The social services woman should have provided at least three hospices for the wife and daughter to interview. They were never once told that you have the right to choose a hospice of your choice. This particular hospice was based in Riverside. Please be aware of your rights if you have to ever move your loved one into a RCFE. Remember… you have the right to CHOOSE the hospice you want when the time comes. For any questions please contact Jennifer Trebler Partridge at (951) 663-1060. Ask a Question New Books Needed for Assistance League The Assistance League of Hemacinto, a nonprofit organization serving our community for the past 40 years, is participating in a country wide Action Week sponsored by their national organization. The chapter led by Linda Morriss, a Four Seasons resident since 2003, was honored as a recipient of the Taste of Elegance income in spring 2018. Since that time they have been named the Outstanding Community Organization by the Mt. San Jacinto College Foundation and the Outstanding Nonprofit Organization in the valley by the readers of the Press Enterprise. In February the local chapter will conduct a valley-wide drive to collect new books for students (kindergarten through 8th grade) of the Hemet and San Jacinto School Districts. The residents of Four Seasons have the opportunity to donate new books for these children as one collection site will be the library in the Four Seasons Lodge. The collection will be conducted the month of February. Residents are invited to participate in this drive so as to contribute to a change in the statistics that exist regarding the importance of literacy in our communities which are: • One in four children in America grow up without learning how to read. • Students who don't read proficiently by the 3rd grade are four times likelier to drop out of school. • As of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country where the current generation was less educated than the previous one. • Nearly 85 percent of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60 percent of all inmates are functionally illiterate. It is hoped that the residents of Four Seasons will want to make a difference for the children of Hemet and San Jacinto. If each resident would contribute just one new book think of the affect our community can have in improving these statistics.

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