Start by calling your medical insurance company and ask what they will pay for. They can also clue you in to what your state/province will pay. Then, look at using savings and selling belongings to pay for ALF.
ALs are like having an apartment. There is a fee over and above the rent. You pay rent and care before you move in. Then each month you get a bill. My AL charged by day. So one month would be 30 days, another 31 and Feb 28 or 29. Your usually on a 30 day lease. Meaning you have to give them 30days if ur leaving and they have to give u 30days if theyvr asking u to leave. Each AL is different so you really need to ask this question when looking for one.
First decide if AL is the right choice at this point in time. How old is the person?How needy are they? Will they have sufficient resources to transition to later stages of care if they start using between 6K and 8K now for AL.? In other words, how long will their $ last at approximately $85,000 per year? Would limited hours of in-home care work? If so, you can bank the rest of the money for later care when limited home care is not enough. If home care is off the table, then you have to use whatever assets are available to pay. Medicare will not pay. Long term care (LTC) insurance will help if the person bought a policy, but if not, all of the cost for AL is private pay. There may be some assistance or exceptions for impoverished persons but not for middle income people. Social Security payments also helps pay for care.
With private AL, how many months does the facility require up front? For example, my parents have about $40K in savings; next source of income is selling the house (no mortgage). If we can pay for 2-3 months upfront, and sell the house in the meantime, then there will be enough money for several years of care, but they don't have the means to pay for one year in advance right now. What happens if the person dies after being in AL for 3 months? Is money returned? Thank you
Most elders sell their homes and cash out stocks, bonds, etc. to pay the rent in Assisted Living. Together with savings and social security, that's how they afford it.
Without personal financial assets one will NOT be paying for ALF. They are mostly privately owned facilities that do not take governmental supplemental incomes such as Medicaid. They range from about 5,000 to 10,000 per month for one room, meals, etc. and a level one care plan (levels go up to 4 with hefty fees for each bump up. Level one is basically self caring). There are added fees for transportation. The 10,000 monthly is cost in my own San Francisco; some of the highest cost in the nation.
So without a lifetime of luck or savings, most people are left with choices of Nursing Homes, Board and Care (sometimes less costly and a good option for some, but more and more rare).
Assisted Livings are private pay. Some States will pay for it so u need to check if ur State does. My State won't until you have private paid for at least two years. The AL must also take Medicaid. Ur profile says Dad has a Dementia, most ALs will not take people suffering from Dementia especially if they have a Memory care unit. Your other option is Long-term care with Medicaid paying.
So without a lifetime of luck or savings, most people are left with choices of Nursing Homes, Board and Care (sometimes less costly and a good option for some, but more and more rare).
That is all I can think of. Unless you are a Veteran, I think they have an option available.