Whether you are caring for your loved one in the home, scrambling to make arrangements for nursing home care or trying to make sure nothing goes wrong in the nursing home, you know how difficult, time-consuming and isolating caregiving can be. Imagine what life would be like if you had a team of advisors helping you get the right care, preserve family resources and make difficult decisions. That’s what life is like when you have a Life Care Plan. A Life Care Plan helps you respond to every challenge created by the long-term illness or disability of your elderly loved…
If you have to admit your aging parent or a loved one into a nursing home due to a long-term illness you wish, hope and expect, that they will receive good care. However, what is good long-term care look like? An article published in the New York Times attempts to describe some of the characteristics of good care in nursing homes: Staff members who are well-trained in gerontology Sufficient aides to help patients with activities like feeding Caring and respect devoted to each resident by facility personnel Staff who receive sufficient supervision from managers Medical attention by doctors and skilled…
If you have assets under $2,500, and reside in a nursing home, the State of Maryland through Medical Assistance (Medicaid) will pay the nursing home. However, a house that is a person’s primary residence is exempt for purposes of Medicaid eligibility provided that the community spouse is still residing in the house, and the net value of the house does not exceed $500,000. Additionally, if you are a single, then sign the application that you have an “intent to return to the house,” even if that it’s impossible and you remain in a nursing home. The home is an exempt…
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), signed by then President George Bush significantly changed the rules regarding transfers, for non-services, or gifts of assets (Gifts). Any Gifts made prior to enactment of the DRA on February 8, 2006, Maryland Medicaid officials review all documentation, bank statements, mutual funds, CD’s etc. for any Gifts made within the 36 months of the Medicaid application (or 60 months if the Gift was made to an irrevocable trust). However, for Gifts made after the enactment of the DRA the so-called "look back" period for all Gifts is 60 months. The “look back” period determines what…
If you are applying for Medicaid, the institutional spouse (spouse in nursing home) and their community spouse (spouse not in nursing home) may protect their assets and lifelong savings, retirement IRA etc. by spending those assets on noncountable assets. These expenditures may include: prepaying funeral expenses, paying off a mortgage, making repairs to a home, purchasing a new automobile, updating home furnishings and equipment, purchasing insurance up to $1,500 buying a new home, if under $500,000, (in some states $750,000) puchasing an annuity In the case of married couples, it is often important that any spend-down steps be taken only…
Residents in nursing homes have the same rights as everyone. However, the combination of an institutional setting and the disability can result in a loss of dignity and the absence of proper care. Consequently, Congress enacted the Nursing Home Reform Law. Basically, it requires that every nursing home resident be given whatever services are necessary to function at the highest possible level. Additionally, the law gives residents a number of specific rights: Residents have the right to be free of unnecessary physical or chemical restraints. Vests, hand mitts, seat belts and other physical restraints, and antipsychotic drugs, sedatives, and other…
Choosing a nursing home for your aging parent or loved one is a daunting task. In an AARP article 89%, over the age of 45, of people surveyed, desire to stay home in lieu of any other type of residential facility. No person wishes to live in a nursing home. And, typically, the search takes place in CRISIS mode, when discharge is impending from the hospital or it's no longer possible to provide home care. Here are a few pointers that may help you choose and evaluate the nursing home: Location, location, location. Location is the most important factor in…
Generally, you do not have to sell your home for Medicaid qualification of nursing home care. However, the state can file a claim against your home after your death. If Medicaid pays for your nursing home care, the state must attempt to recoup from your estate the amount it paid for your care. This is called "estate recovery." Consequently, with the rules for Medicaid eligibility i.e. assets under $2,500 the only property of substantial value that a Medicaid recipient is likely to own at death is their home. Therefore, you should consult with an elder care attorney before or after…
The $90.00 personal allowance reduction is not countable as income towards Medicaid, M21-1MR, Part V, Subpart iii, Chapter 3 1. General Information on Pension Reductions for Medicaid-Covered Nursing Facility Care Change Date May 14, 2007 a. Provisions for Pension Reduction 38 CFR 3.551(i) limits to $90 per month the amount of Improved Pension that can be paid to a veteran (or surviving spouse) with no dependents who • is in a Medicaid-approved nursing facility, and • is covered by a Medicaid plan for services furnished by the nursing facility. No part of the $90 monthly Improved Pension may be used…
The cost of nursing homes and other assisted living facilities continues to rise significantly, according to the Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs conducted by insurance provider MetLife. Private-room nursing home rates rose 4.6% in 2010, increasing to an average of $229 per day or $83,585 per year, while assisted living rose 5.2% on average to $3,293 per month, or $39,516 per year. "The cost of care in nursing homes and assisted living has been and continues to be high and, in the past year, the increases have even outpaced medical care inflation of about 3%," Sandra Timmermann, director of…
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