My mom needs ALF. She will not qualify for assistance. How do we help her?

August question. The OP has not returned to respond, update or engage further.

A longer but important note... ALF (assisted living) is different than SNF (skilled living). Assisted living in many states is only private pay and takes care of people who do not need constant medical care (IVs, severe wound care, bedbound etc) Many people who.have run out of money and do not have help end up in nursing homes on Medicaid. This is subject to income and need determination. If your mom does not meet these guidelines, you may need to find a elder group home that accepts her monthly check as payment. These are usually private homes with few staff and resources. They have a maximum.of less than.15 people in the house.. Some are run by good people but don't have the same checks and balances on them that larger facilities do. Check in with an elder care consultant or your.local Dept of Aging for a list of these places and be prepared to check them out on your own with.visits at various times. You will.want to check cleanliness of place and residents, meal time and medication schedules. And please continue to visit/keep.tabs on them after placement. Any little event may change a decent place into a poorly run one. (FYI, I have been in the senior care industry in good places that receives residents from smaller places that fell on hard times).

Contact a Medicaid Advisor. They are the experts on eligibility.

Does Medicaid help with assisted living expenses in mom’s state? It does not in mine, only nursing home care is covered. This is true in many states. If mom still needs to be made eligible, the life insurance policy can be cashed out, the money from it used on things to benefit her directly (new glasses, hearing aids, funeral prepayment, etc) and then mom will be eligible

If her assets are more than the Medicaid limit, she goes to AL as private pay until she reaches the limit. Many AL have a few Medicaid beds, and they usually go to people who have been there as private pay.

Why is she not eligible? That's a very small amount of assets. What state are you in?

Contact her local Senior Service Center they may be aware of programs that could help her with caregiving services.
Is she the spouse of a Veteran? If so she may qualify for Aid and Attendance. It is a program that is means based so she may qualify. If she is the spouse of a Veteran you can contact the local Veterans Assistance Commission and they can help determine if she would qualify. Their service is free.

What is this life insurance policy FOR? If she is leaving money to heirs they would have to do without it. If for a funeral, there are options for less costly ways to address after death options. I find it difficult to believe that this 10,000 policy is making the difference, and I am sorry to say that I feel you are going to have to ask for some help from somewhere in your understanding of Medicaid and how to qualify in your own State. Call them and ask for an advisor and ask for ways for someone without funds to get information on qualifying.