How much is assisted living or nursing home about?

Thanks, everyone. I’m not going to go look until it becomes clearer that we are headed in that direction. But thank you for giving me pointers. I’m a planner so I always want to have parameters for the next stage before we get there.

My Mom's semi-private room a NH in Central Indiana is $10,000 per month. Thank god Medicaid kicks in next month. I'll tell you, when I got that first bill, I swear, my soul left my body.

For an actual number (in case you have literally no idea), I paid $8900/month for my mother in a Southern California memory care facility two years ago. That included an extra $500/month for incontinence care.

Straight assisted living would likely cost a bit less, and skilled nursing significantly more.

It all depends on the area you live in. Near or in a city it will be expensive. The State u live in. Me, the Northern part of my State is near NY state so cost of care is higher. Me, I live in a more rural area so it tends to be cheaper. 6 yrs ago Mom was paying about 5k for her AL. When she transferred to LTC it was $9300 a month.

Like said, tpu need to shop around.

Call facilities in your area.

Start looking, literally start looking a facilities near you. Take a tour or two. Tell the facility manager that you are in the beginning part of looking for places for MOM.

What do they offer? If you add more "care" does the monthly rate go up? For instance, medicine distribution, housekeeping, etc.

Some places just have a fixed rate.. and others, add on depending what needs to be done.

Yes, go do your homework now..Actually you and spouse take a tour of the different places now. Get used to the idea of placing mom... the more prepared you are, the easier it may be to convince mom with the time comes to move her..

NO, it's never easy.. but looking around, seeing what the facilities offer, compare them, look where the residents are.. Have a meal there, and sit with a resident who may be cognitive enough to converse with you. "How do you like it here?" How are the staff? etc. If you think you like a place, stop in and look around again.

How large of a "community" is it? My aunt was very independent. Lived by herself her whole life. So I thought this AL place was perfect.. Not too large, and people there seemed nice.. Well... it turned out to be too large.. WAY TOO LARGE... She was not happy. I found her a 6 pack.. 6 residents & 2 caretakers in a private house-type setting. It was perfect for her.. VERY SMALL.. Only a couple of people to deal with instead of 30+.

GO check out places near you. Good luck!

Search this site for the article How Much Does Assisted Living Cost? A Breakdown By State. It gives the average by state.

One source for the article is Genworth's Cost of Care Report which you can access at www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care.html. They have a calculator registered visitors can use and lots of info on long-term care.