Paradise gone wrong

AmberV

We live on Maui and as wonderful as that may sound, our resources and care facilities here are lacking on top of being some of the highest rates in the nation. I am just wondering if anyone has experienced having a LO in between stages that doesn't allow them to be in AL yet not far gone enough to be placed in MC? We are at a loss since my MIL has just enough finances to make her ineligible for medicaid to step in, but a limited amount for private pay which would give her 6 months in a facility if they were willing to take her. If we continue to pay for in home care she'll run out of money in about the same amount of time and not really sure when to begin the process of applying for medicaid. We've now begun looking at facilities off island in California since we have some family there, but we're running out of luck finding a facility that will assist in getting her set up with Medi-Cal once her finances run out. Has anyone else out there relocated their LO to another state for appropriate care and financial needs? As terrible as that sounds, financially we'll be unable to step in since only one of us is working while the other cares for her.

This board has been such a life saver over the years and am in hopes that someone has some insight on this!

Remaining hopeful, but running out of steam.

M1

Sounds like you really need an elder law attorney Amber. It's not too soon to apply for Medicaid, long story short. But if you want to apply in California, I suspect she will have to be a resident there first. This really warrants professional advice.

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star26

I agree with M1 about getting an elder law attorney and applying for Medicaid now. You might need to look in Honolulu to get someone decent. I don't know what your Mom's issues are (the problems that prevent her from being in AL) but you might consider Hale Makua Kahului. It's a SNF, but the best option on Maui imo. And if you end up looking at places in CA, you may find MC facilities that have a population that your Mom would fit into. The one option on Maui (Roselani) is very depressing. They're not all like that.

AmberV

Thank you M1, she was previously a long time resident of California prior to moving her out here with us and am guessing you're correct in her needing to become a resident again.

We'll seek professional advice prior to making any decisions.

AmberV

Yes, Star26 you're speaking of exactly the facilities we looked into. Hale Makua is who has placed her in limbo after her PCP sent in paperwork that evaluated her and then suggested I look into hospice. Roselani does not accept Medicaid/Med-quest so we're counting them out even though a friend of mine who is a doctor here had her grandfather there. My last attempt is Kula Hospital which shows they are a long-term care/Alzheimer's facility, but because of covid we're unable to visit for a tour. My MIL gets her first dose of the vaccine tomorrow so there's one light at the end of the tunnel.

dayn2nite2

She would need to become a resident of California again to get on Medi-Cal.

You may find no other alternative, the last person who posted frequently on the boards had given up their job to move to Oahu to take care of her mother, mom had frequent behavioral outbursts, not enough money for private pay.  A fire in their apartment building caused them to move with assistance from a local church.  Mom may have got them evicted by frequently calling police (I can’t remember).  The daughter gave up and made her a ward of the state and went back to California.  She needed to work, there was no comparable work for her and her husband in Hawaii.  There was nothing more she could do.

AmberV

Thank you for the link, those are the scenarios we definitely need to avoid!!

AmberV

I appreciate the share dayn2nite2. My husband has a great job here yet relying on one income for three people won’t cut it. I potentially could and might have to go back to work if we are able to find a reliable caregiver which is another struggle out here. Being on an island limits our resources and availability for caregivers that aren’t as burned out as we are. My MIL has episodes of clarity and at times can seem happy, but for the most part we see new disruptive behaviors show up daily. Our strategy was to get her placed with private pay at a facility which would help her establish residency prior to applying for Medi-cal, but are running out of options for a location near other family in the Palm Desert area.