Family members face some tough and traumatic issues when a loved one reaches the point of needing long-term nursing care. Of course, there is the worry about the welfare and comfort of the patient. Often, there is also concern about finances--and with good reason, with nursing care costs averaging $8,000 to $12,000 per month.
For families whose loved ones have qualified for Medicaid assistance–or even for those thinking about applying for such assistance–there may be additional worries. Family members will often fear that as a Medicaid patient, their loved one will be a "second class citizen" and receive inferior care from the nursing facility compared with someone who is paying privately or through insurance. In my professional and personal experience, this fear is completely groundless. Moreover, as I always remind family members, it is against federal law for a nursing facility to discriminate among patients based on their source of payment. Any such discrimination carries a stiff penalty for the institution involved.
Secondly, a family that has preserved assets can tap into those funds to make the loved one more comfortable and content, to enhance his or her lifestyle in meaningful ways. Remember, Medicaid law permits the nursing home resident to keep only $68 of any income for his or her personal use; the rest goes to the nursing facility. With extra assets in your family’s pockets, your loved one can be given some extra "TLC." For example, a private-duty aide can be provided some of the time. Perhaps a grandchild dearly wants to fly down to visit with her incapacitated grandfather but lacks funds to pay for airfare. Conserved assets can underwrite this, too.
If all assets are depleted, dissension can sometimes arise among family members over who should pay for what. Who will pay for dental care? Who will pay for the cab that will take an aging father to a grandchild’s birthday party across town? The child’s parent or all the patient’s adult children? Do all the adult children agree Mom should be treated to a weekly hairset, and do they all pitch in equally? When the patient has assets preserved, they can be used to provide these extras to enhance their quality of life and alleviate family tension.
Call us now for assistance (301) 663-9230
We can help you!
At Senior Life Care Planning, LLC we are dedicated to giving our clients the power to be informed individuals and to give peace of mind. We provide honest ways to protect your home, loved ones and independence in times of great need. We understand the emotional burden, confusion, anger, hopelessness, sense of injustice, fear and loneliness that come with long-term disability and end-of-life issues.
Every day we help and support families and individuals who are in crisis. We work with our clients to provide peace of mind and quality of life.
Senior Life Care Planning, LLC
1560 Opossumtown Pike, Suite A-12
Frederick, MD 21702
301.663.9230
www.seniorlcp.com
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About Me
- Senior Life Care Planning
- Maryland, United States
- My life changed in the early to late 1990' My grandfather was living in Chevy Chase, Maryland. One night I received a call. I answered the phone, to hear that my grandfather, had fallen. Subsequently, he was taken to a nursing home. I was the attorney in the family, so everything was left to me. During this time, I had lots of questions: what options were available; what's a good nursing home, would he get good care; how are we going to pay for it? I tried to find answers to these questions. But I could only catch glimpses of the big picture. That research was my first act into the practice of elder law and life care planning. After granddad was in the nursing home. I researched this area and I started putting together what later turned out to be the beginning phases of my new life care planning practice and my calling.
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