Medicaid or home health? Rapid decline in mom

ginapic21 · August 22

My mom recently was diagnosed 3 weeks with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia and is rapidly getting worse. Is this a normal part of this process?

Also, I’m trying to research home health care because she is forgetting to take her meds. I’m getting different answers through Medicare for her coverage. Any suggestions? What is average cost to have someone come in 2x day for an hour? She is in Florida and I live out of state. I’m visiting her now and had a nurse come in this week but then they told me she has a total of 7 appointments. I’m like what’s the point?!

Also, where do you even start with assisted living places? She will eventually run out of money and will have to go on Medicaid.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

SDianeL · August 22

Welcome. So sorry about your Mom. Progression varies by each person. She may have had memory loss for a long time before diagnosis which is common. Google the 7 stages of dementia and look for a chart that lists behaviors and you can get a general idea of where she is. She should no longer be left alone. Many with dementia don’t know how to call 911 if there is an emergency. She may start a fire and not know what to do. She may also wander off. She should no longer be driving. Home care is very expensive. The agency will need to evaluate your Mom to see what level of care she needs. In Florida only certain levels of nurses can give her medicines. The price per hour depends on the level of care. I would meet with an elder care attorney in the state where you would choose the memory care facility. Medicaid rules vary by state. (See my note below about moving her near you) You should also get legal papers in order if you haven’t. DPOA, HIPPA, will, living will, DNR. Your Mom will need to sign. Don’t wait. Read the book “The 36 Hour Day” which helped me understand the disease. You may want to find a memory care facility near you and move her there so you can manage her care and visit her often. I found a memory care facility by looking online and reading reviews. I narrowed it to 3 and toured them and selected the best one closest to where I was living. This group helped me so much. Come here often for info and support. (I live in Tampa). Hugs. 💜

H1235 · August 22

SDianL has given great advice. A DPOA is very important, don’t wait. Medicaid varies by state. Both in requirements and services covered. I attached a website that may help. A lawyer can make suggestions regarding finances and Medicaid. We were advised to do a prepaid funeral. Mom had enough money for assisted living for 1 year. She qualifies for Medicaid now. Unfortunately Al facilitates that accept Medicaid were dumps. We opted to move her to a nicer nursing home. I think you will find it makes the most sense to move her to your state. In home care is going to be very expensive. You will need to do some scrambling if someone doesn’t show up. There is a big risk that if she uses the stove and forgets she will start a fire. Will she then try to put it out? Things could get ugly. To prevent this you would need 24 hour in home care. That’s expensive. To make matters worse some facilities may have a waiting list. Moms doctor said it’s best to make the move before there is a problem. When you consider the problem may be burning the house down it makes sense. Many people with dementia have anosognosia. This is the inability to recognize their symptoms or limitations. You can not wait for you mom to be on board with what needs to be done. This is tough. I will also attach a staging tool and a good article about dementia. The more you can learn the better.
I hope this helps.
Medicaid

https://www.medicaid.gov/state-overviews

Good article on dementia

understanding-the-dementia-experience.pdf

A staging tool

DBAT.pdf

Medicaid or home health? Rapid decline in mom

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