Nursing homes provide skilled medical services and rehabilitation for people who suffer an illness or injury and need help with the recovery process. Many people are discharged to a nursing home after a hip replacement or after a stroke so they can convalesce and get appropriate assistance. The length of time a person stays in a nursing home varies depending on the reason for admission.
A person may be admitted to a nursing home on an indefinite or permanent basis, rather than because there is hope he or she will recover. This can be because illness, injury, or the effects of aging have made it impossible for that person to live independently. According to the Wall Street Journal, 70 percent of people who reach age 65 will require nursing home care before they pass. For those 65 or older, 20 percent will be in a nursing home for at least five years.
While most nursing homes are well run and provide excellent care, not all provide good care, yet all are expensive. It is important to engage in nursing home planning before you need care so you have a way to cover these costs and ensure you wind up in the right home.
If your loved one is going to a nursing home after a medical emergency, have a plan to ensure your loved one receives quality care without losing his or her life savings. Parman & Easterday can help. Our legal team will work with you to plan in advance for nursing home care or to respond appropriately if your family member must enter such a home.
In addition to the personalized assistance our legal team offers with nursing home planning and other issues related to nursing home care, we also have a list of nursing home resources for your use. Feel free to use these resources to help learn more about nursing homes and call us when you are ready to make important decisions on nursing home care.
Nursing Home Resources
For those living in Oklahoma and Kansas, these resources can help you select a nursing care facility and make certain you or your family member receive an appropriate level of care.
- Nursing Home Compare: The “Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services” has prepared a helpful tool you can use to compare different resources. You can search by facility and location and find details about different care facilities. You can also look at ratings and reviews of the different facilities.
- Oklahoma Aging Services Division: The Oklahoma Aging Services Division explains residents’ rights in a nursing home setting and explains the role of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in Oklahoma. This summary of your rights explains that nursing home residents are entitled to respect and provides details on other important issues such as policies on the use of chemical restraints in a nursing care setting.
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment: This website provides information on elder abuse, abuse complaints, and other tools for protecting vulnerable seniors who are mistreated in a nursing home environment.
- U.S. News & World Report Nursing Home Rankings for Kansas: You will find a ranking of different nursing care facilities and details about the quality of care provided in each different care environment.
- U.S. News & World Report Nursing Home Rankings for Oklahoma: U.S. News and World report also has nursing home rankings for Oklahoma. You can search by distance from a location, search for the name of a home, or limit your search to facilities which have a specific star rating.
Once you have selected a care facility, it is important for you to determine how you are going to pay the costs of care. It costs thousands of dollars every month to live in a nursing home. While there is some limited coverage for nursing home care through private policies or Medicare, the bulk of the expense may fall fully on your shoulders. These resources explain your payment options:
- Medicare Part A Coverage for Nursing Home Care: In the very limited circumstances in which Medicare pays for nursing home care, Part A covers these costs. You can find out more about Medicare Part A nursing home coverage here.
- Medicaid Coverage for Nursing Home Care: Medicaid picks up the bills for nursing home care for most patients, but only if you cannot pay privately because of low income and too few resources. You can find out here about Medicaid coverage for nursing home care and learn about the different services Medicaid covers.
- Oklahoma Health Care Authority: The Oklahoma Health Care authority has a page dedicated to helping individuals applying for help with long-term care expenses. You can get details here about different payment sources.
- Medicaid and KanCare Eligibility Requirements for Kansas: This website provides details on qualifying for Medicaid coverage for nursing home care if you live in Kansas. Medicaid is operated under a state/federal joint partnership, with states having many individual rules. You need to know if and when you may be eligible for benefits in Kansas.
These resources provide only basic information on how to pay for nursing home care. You should talk with an experienced elder law attorney about creating a Medicaid plan to protect your assets, so your wealth isn’t lost to nursing home care costs.
Getting Legal Help
If you would like assistance with nursing home planning, you may reach us at (405) 843-6100, (913) 385-9400, or visit our website at www.parmanlaw.com for additional assistance or information.
Parman & Easterday is here to help you with your financial, legal, and personal issues related to nursing home care. To find out more about the assistance our firm offers to clients in Oklahoma and Kansas, give call today or contact us online.
