Time for the move out of her home...but she's a smoker...plus I'm not sure how to pay for it...

Holly H

I know it's time for my mom to either move to a memory care center, or move in with me. I live 2 hours from her. She has been doing well on her own, but in the past week her memory and verbal ability has taken a a downhill turn. Her house is getting dirty and she's not bathing. Everything is tidy and she is neatly coifed, but she wears the same clothes everyday. Her toenails are horrendous. I tried to cut them and get them clean and under control but there is only so much I can do. She is also a smoker. How does that factor in? Does a facility let tenants smoke? Do they put them on a patch? If I moved her to my house, smoking would be absolutely not allowed. And I actually worry more about that with her living alone than any other safety issue. I'm talking in circles, which is basically how my thoughts go when I try to figure this stuff out. She is low income, does not have medicaid, but has private health insurance and medicare. Do I need to get her on medicaid? How? She's in KY and I'm in Ohio. If I bring her to Ohio whether in my home or a facility - does it need to be Ohio medicaid? Any help appreciated!

M1

Welcome to the forum. If you are going to bring her to Ohio, yes, it would need to be Ohio Medicaid; a certified elder law attorney can help sort this out and also help you get power of attorney for her for finances and healthcare. You will need both, and it is worth the expense to be sure you have the proper paperwork.

Not too soon to start looking for facilities that accept Medicaid payment, as not all do.