When a person is admitted to a nursing home, often a family member manages the move. If you manage the transition into a nursing home, you may be asked to sign a nursing home admission agreement as the “responsible party.” These agreements are thick, complicated, and confusing, and you are asked to sign them at the time of admission when you are under a great deal of stress. Don’t feel pressured to sign the agreement on the spot. Make sure you understand what you are signing. Don’t accidentally … [Read more...] about The Do’s and Dont’s of Signing a Nursing Home Agreement
elder care
Care Management for the Elderly
As we get older, thinking about retirement and aging can raise many questions, both for the person getting older and their adult children. Most start with, “how am I going to pay for…” How are you going to pay for all the care you may need and what are all your care options? It’s important to think about care management, not just for financial reasons but to ensure you get the best care possible for yourself or a grandparent, mother or father who may need it. It’s never too early to get … [Read more...] about Care Management for the Elderly
Is There a Medicaid Asset Limit?
When you think about health insurance for senior citizens, Medicare is probably going to come to mind first. You pay into the Medicare program when you are working and paying taxes. You can accumulate as many as 4 retirement credits per year. Once you have 40 credits, you will qualify for Medicare when you reach the age of 65. Medicaid is a need-based health insurance program for people of all ages. Most seniors are not going to need Medicaid coverage when they reach the age of 65, because … [Read more...] about Is There a Medicaid Asset Limit?
What Is the Medicaid Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance?
The United States Department of Health and Human Services tells us that 70 percent of people who are turning 65 on this day will eventually require assistance with their day-to-day needs. If you were to reside in a nursing home or assisted living community, you are looking at some significant expenses late in your life. … [Read more...] about What Is the Medicaid Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance?
Medicaid Planning & Early Dementia Signs
There is a lot to think about if you want to be comprehensively prepared for the eventualities of aging. People routinely think of retirement planning as an exercise in financing activities like golf, travel, and dining out. However, there is another stage of life to think about. After these active retirement years are over, you may go through a period of incapacitation. … [Read more...] about Medicaid Planning & Early Dementia Signs
What Are the Disadvantages of a Medicaid Trust?
You may wonder why Medicaid would be relevant to you if you are going to qualify for Medicare as a senior citizen. The reason why Medicaid is relevant to many elders is because of the fact that Medicare will not pay for custodial care. Custodial care is the type of care that you would receive in a nursing home or assisted living community. It is essentially living assistance rather than medical or convalescent care. For this reason, it is not covered under Medicare. … [Read more...] about What Are the Disadvantages of a Medicaid Trust?
What Is the Five Year Medicaid Look Back?
The Medicaid program is relied upon by most senior citizens who are receiving long-term care in the United States. This is true even though Medicaid is a program that is thought of as being a safety net for people with virtually no financial resources. Many of the people who ultimately utilize Medicaid to pay for assisted living were qualified for Medicare coverage. They worked throughout their lives, they were never financially needy, and they had some retirement savings. … [Read more...] about What Is the Five Year Medicaid Look Back?
Is It Possible to Give Away Assets and Qualify for Oklahoma Medicaid Benefits?
When you get serious about planning ahead for the eventualities of aging you may run into some rude awakenings. One of these would be the situation that you may face if you need long-term care someday. First of all, we would like to establish the fact that this is something that everyone should take seriously. You may think that a small percentage of people will need help with their day-to-day needs eventually. Actually, 70% of people who reach the age of 65 will someday need long-term care. … [Read more...] about Is It Possible to Give Away Assets and Qualify for Oklahoma Medicaid Benefits?
What Questions Should I Ask an Elder Law Attorney?
Elder law attorneys assist clients who are preparing for the eventualities of aging. Let's look at three specific questions that you should ask your elder law attorney. How Will I Pay for Long-Term Care? The majority of elder Americans will need assistance with their day-to-day needs at some point in time. Residence in a nursing home or assisted living community is very expensive. In-home caregivers can be costly as well. … [Read more...] about What Questions Should I Ask an Elder Law Attorney?
Who Pays for Nursing Home Care?
Recently an elder law colleague related the following. His client was sued by a nursing home for nonpayment, claiming nearly $60,000 in unpaid services. The client had applied for Medicaid, but his application was denied and the case was on appeal. The problem was that the client’s daughter signed the nursing home admissions agreement for him, so now both of them were being sued. The daughter was his power of attorney and the nursing home knew this, but she didn’t sign "POA" … [Read more...] about Who Pays for Nursing Home Care?
