Strategies on Paying for Nursing Home Care and Medicaid

The decision to place your loved one into a nursing home is an extremely difficult decision, often causing much guilt for the caregiver. It is a very emotional decision for most clients we see and most are under a certain amount of stress, often great, when facing what they consider to be a drastic course of action.

I counsel our caregiver clients to get beyond the guilt as quickly as they can, because the situation their loved one is in is not the caregiver's fault. And besides, the longer you remain under this stress, the less healthy you eat, or you eat way too much, the less you sleep, and some start drinking (my own mother started this late at night after she got my dad settled in bed for the evening ? not healthy to say the least).

The stress of caring for a loved one is constant and unrelenting. It is a physical, mental and emotional grind. On numerous occasions, we have actually had caregiver clients die before the spouse in the nursing home. Sometimes, the caregivers die shortly after the nursing home spouse dies. The stress of being a caregiver can be deadly serious, especially for older clients who are caregivers for their spouse.

You have to recognize it and develop a plan to deal with it.

Get your children involved in developing a plan to deal with your loved one's incapacity. And remember, plan for the absolute worst case scenario. Get to an attorney who can help you develop a plan to help you with your particular situation. And this is especially important as soon as you detect any signs of dementia in your parent or spouse, or as soon as you begin to detect physical problems with your loved one. The sooner you begin the plan, the better off the family will be.

NOW, HOW DO WE PAY FOR MAMA'S NURSING HOME CARE? There are really only three ways to pay for a stay in a nursing home.

LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE (LTCI). If Mama was far-sighted enough, she may have purchased LTCI in the past before she needed it. This would be an excellent source of funds to help defray some or all of Mama's long term care costs. Unfortunately, very few seniors, those over age 60, have LTCI coverage.

SELF PAY. This essentially means that Mama has enough income or financial assets to pay her own way in the nursing home. However, many families don't have the income or the financial asset base to be able to pay $4,000 to $7,500 or more a month for a bed for very long in a nursing home.

MEDICAID. This is a state-administered medical benefit program which will pay for the cost of a nursing home stay if three tests are met, i.e., medical need, asset, and income. Medicaid is obviously a needs-based program, funded partially by state funds, but mostly by federal funds. Many people are under the mistaken impression that MEDICARE, which most seniors in this country over age sixty-five participate in to one degree or another, will cover the cost of their stay in a nursing home.

(c) Copyright 2005 P.L.Fields LLC

P.L. Fields is a Medicaid Expert and President of Senior Strategies, a service that helps seniors save time and money. To learn more about the secret strategies and solutions that Medicaid lawyers charge to get clients qualified for Medicaid, while protecting their assets, visit: http://www.medicaidsecrets.info

---

Angels Are Reaching Out to the Elderly

I am reminded time after time of the profound effect Angels have on people. Recently, I have been receiving many emails containing examples of how the Angels... Read More

Senior Living: 5 Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Falling

Every year we hear stories of seniors falling, ending up in hospitals and never fully recovering. Unfortunately, these falls often result in death. According to the Centers... Read More

What About Tennesse Dept. of Human Services Abuse of the Elderly and Their Families?

PART I: Physical Abuse of the Elderly vs. Tennessee DHS Abuse of FamiliesDuring the week of October 26, 2003, newspapers across the state of Tennessee published an... Read More

As the Baby Boomers Age

Many employees today are calling in sick - not to care for themselves or their children, but to care for their aging parents. Baby boomers are rapidly... Read More

Respiratory Help Is Available For Seniors With COPD

As HMOs Continue to Drop Coverage for Seniors - Now Over 500,000 Victims - Those Needing Expensive Respiratory Medication, Support and Homecare Services are the Hardest HitOne... Read More

Retiring Abroad and Leaving the Grey Skies of the UK

Retiring abroad needs careful planning. Not all countries have the same entitlement to benefits as the UK and your tax liability may be affected. UK nationals have... Read More

The Dryer Ate Your Underwear!

Q: My mom is in the early stages of dementia and she is also incontinent we have tried to get her to stop wearing her underpants and... Read More

Prevent or Delay Alzheimers Disease

Argh! Where are my glasses? I put them down . . . to do what? And when?As the daughter of an Alzheimer's patient, this inability to keep... Read More

The Best Investment You Can Make Right Now: Long Term Care Insurance

Don't think you need it? Consider this: a full 50% of Americans over the age of 50 will need long term care at some point in their... Read More

The Truth About Christmas

Every year, as Christmas approaches, you hear Christmas carols everywhere. Sometimes to the point where another Silent Night would make you want to silent the sound system.... Read More

Caregiving Across The Miles?Tips for Successful Long Distance Caregiving

Caring for a parent or a loved one is a difficult job. Your duties as a caregiver become increasingly difficult as the miles increase between you and... Read More

Scaling Down (Almost) Painlessly

Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for... Read More

Helping Caregivers Get Comfortable Asking For Help

Becoming a care giver might not have been a conscious decision on your part. It may have arrived quietly and unnoticed because you are the adult child... Read More

Solitary Confinement -- for Life

Sixty-five year old Arthur Jones served a self-imposed life sentence - in his own home.Arthur lived in a high crime neighborhood, so he built iron cages around... Read More

Who Wants to End Up in a Nursing Home? NO ONE!

As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is... Read More

What You Need to Know About Helping Senior Citizens

IntroductionThe baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to... Read More

Strategies on Paying for Nursing Home Care and Medicaid

The decision to place your loved one into a nursing home is an extremely difficult decision, often causing much guilt for the caregiver. It is a very... Read More

Skilled Nursing Homes - What Are They?

A skilled nursing home is a medical facility providing services similar to a hospital. The homes are staffed with licensed nurses, shared rooms, hospital beds, regular scheduled... Read More

Board and Care Homes ? What Are They?

Board and Care homes (also known as RCFE's - Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly) are residential private homes that have been licensed by the Department of... Read More

Alzheimers Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health

Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to... Read More

What Colour was Your Great-grandmothers Hair?

I've just made another Photoshop video. This one is about colour tinting (or "colorizing") an old photo. You may not know this, but back in the 1800's... Read More

Arizona Assisted Living: Resident Rights

According to the Arizona Administrative Code (R9-10-710), those who reside in assisted living facilities in Arizona have certain rights. In addition to having the right to live... Read More

Just Give Them a Lot of Love and You?ll be Fine

It was right about this time, 19 years ago. My wife and I were sitting in the very last Lamaze birthing class, soon to be brand new... Read More

Baby Boomers: Will They Be Able to Afford Their Parents?

Do you worry about whether your aging parents have their "affairs in order?" You should. After all, you're the one who will have to pay unnecessary taxes... Read More

Marketing, Selling, and Serving the Older Adult, Senior Citizens, Family Caregivers

Are your clients pleased by the fine quality service that you provide? Validating your clients' endorsement of you through Certification as a Senior Approved Service will increase... Read More

Scaling Down (almost) Painlessly

Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for... Read More