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I was told by 2 separate people that if my parent lives with me, there is a specific amount of time,(they thought about 6 months), that my parent would then become a part of my household income and they would no longer be able to get medicaid help if I felt my parent needed to go into a nursing home. My mother has dementia and I have been told it is only going to get worse.. I have children still living at home and have a very busy life style. I want to help care for my mother but, I want to know that if I can not handle her care any more, I can still put her into a nursing home with the help of medicaid. I can not afford $4000,00/mo. I live in Louisiana.I would appreciate any helpful information someone may have.

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Why not ask your local Medicaid office? Nothing beats getting information from the horse's mouth!
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Contact Medicaid and Medicare to find out what their guidelines are as each state has different requirements. Do not rely on "hearsay" from people who are not in those agencies.
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Not sure what they are refferring to. I live in Pa., my Mother lived with me for a little over 4 years. She did contribute monthly towards her living expenses, when her needs became too significant for me to meet in my home, she entered a nursing home. She entered as a "private pay" resident, and once we ran through her funds she was transitioned to Medicaide status. We had the help of the financial advisor of the nursing home, who walked us step by step through the process and it went seamlessly.
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Keep finances seperate. Your income is seperate from your parent
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I've often heard of people living with their children, then applying for Medicaid to enter a NH. Elder & children's incomes are separate as far as I can tell. If that were not so, it would never be advisable for elders to live with family in anyone's home. It wouldn't work if Medicaid would then consider everyone's income. I have serious doubts that what you heard is correct, Cajun. You can always check with your local Medicaid office to be sure.
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I think only if you were her spouse would incomes be combined.
Possibly what they are referring to is the 5 year "look-back" period for Medicaid.
If you Mother is contributing to your household expenses Medicaid could look at that - if excessive could say she needs to spend that amount for care before they start paying. Also, any large sums from the last 5 years could be questioned.
I would think as long as she is paying a reasonable amount for her share of expense and for her personal necessities - that shouldn't be a problem.
When she goes to LTC all of her assets would have to be accounted for and spent down to Medicaid limits before Medicaid would pay.
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You have been misinformed. You should check w your local agency
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People get into this mess when they both everybody's income into one bank account. Then they withdraw cash and have no receipts. Keep mom's money totally separate and keep all her receipts. If mom is paying "rent" put that in a written agreement, signed by you and her and dated. Have her write a check to you once a month for the "rent" that way she is only a tenant and not a household member.
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Medicaid waivers
Medicaid's Home Care Benefits look for frail elder waiver
Keep your assets seperated

Today all 50 states and D.C. have at least one program that provides assistance to individuals living outside of nursing homes, be that at home, in adult day care or assisted living. Many states offer several programs, usually those that do will offer personal care assistance through their Medicaid State Plan (an entitlement program) and also through a Medicaid Waiver (which limits enrollment).
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I also worked for my state, and the suggestions given here are right on. Don't be afraid to go to the office and ask as many questions as you like. These services are made available so they can be used. That is how they keep going. I know often there is a wait also. Remember, God parted the Red Sea. :-)
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