Trying to Plan Ahead

dtmedic659

I have two questions: (1) for those whose parent has more income/assets than Medicaid allows and can be spent down - whose house has already been sold and no $ from it due to its age and condition. Less than $15K in savings…how are you guys paying for memory care in a facility? Husband and I have good incomes, some modest savings and other investment accounts for our retirement/income…but there is no way I can see paying $4000K extra per month for the cost of assisted living/memory care. What have you done besides care at home if possible. (2) Mom has MCI with history of frequent falling that despite PT isn’t improving. Geriatric assessment saw the MCI, CT shows multiple small strokes in the thalamus and cortical atrophy. She Shuffles feet; has a completely unstable knee that cannot be operated on/replaced because her OTHER knee which was replaced has a low level chronic infection that she takes daily antibiotics to keep at bay because fixing it would require two additional knee surgeries and risks outweigh benefits. Is anyone dealing with the frequent falls as the primary issue - what, if anything, have you done to help besides PT, eliminating as many fall risks as possible, etc.

Can you tell I feel like I’m drowning?

M1

Welcome to the forum. If you haven't done it, consult a certified elder law attorney. There are ways to qualify for Medicaid for long-term care that are different from the criteria for Medicaid for health insurance. If you haven't consulted, you may not have the full story. Every state is different. Certified elder law attorneys can be found by location at nelf.org.

If she is not ambulatory (and it sounds like she is not) she may qualify for hospice care--not much downside to asking. This would bring some additional home assistance including equipment and bathing help. She may also qualify for skilled care in a nursing home--again, not much downside to asking.

Quilting brings calm

Some states have supportive living facilities, which are assisted living for those with lower incomes. I believe these would fall under the facility ( institutional ) Medicaid rather than the home health: insurance Medicaid. As M1 stated, the income and asset eligibility is not the same between the two types. It’s very complicated and confusing.