My husband has power of attorney of finances. We would prefer that he begin the process of looking into local nursing homes. He has advanced Parkinsons and need assistance walking most days.
Nobody has addressed the HUGE cost of home care. Firstly, Medicare pays nothing for Home Health Aides, what is needed for sons and daughters to assure parents are taken care of 24 hours a day. My mother has excellent LONG TERM HEALTH insurance, but 16-24 hours a day is still draining her $5000 a month in a house that is too big for her. She's in dementia but it is hard to convince a parent even thought my POA is well-written and binding.
The last 2 answers are what I look for when I am on this site. It is obvious the writers are knowledgeable which is necessary when responding to these tough questions posed by others. Too often it seems that people are using this site to rant. Very unfortunate.
I have/had both Durable and Medical POAs on both my parents, while living 5 hours away in another town. Initially, we had family in the same town with them, with our daughter being an RN, so it was much easier. But after daughter and family had to move to another state due to her husband's work, it became VERY hard. Fortunately, my parents eldercare attorney had geriatric case managers in the law firm....and you WILL need this kind of 'eyes and ears' to help you assess what is really happening and what increased care is necessary. If there are resources (your Dad's NOT yours)....and he is willing to do what it takes to stay home..... he could have in home caregivers for parts of each day....or even full time. We live in Arizona, and I will say, that eventually my Mom needed caregivers, and at 6 hours/day, 7 days a week, the cost was as much as assisted living would be, so eventually we convinced her it was time to sell the home and move to assisted living up here close to me.
I am an RN and have a husband at home with early Parkinsons. Done my research. Parkinson's does come with dementia attached for some people. If any of this is happening with your Dad, you could be looking at needing Memory Care for him also. Most AL and Memory Care will insist that residents be able to be at least up and about in a wheelchair, but preferably ambulatory with a walker. Is he already using a walker? Does he have a neurologist to manage his treatment? Where is he on medications? My husband is still on the first line med of Carbidopa/Levodopa. His neurologist said there are about 3-4 more drugs to try as the disease progresses, to keep the symptoms under control. This is sort of where a geriatric case manager, especially if an RN, would help....to assess the changes that show worsening of the disease process. Other questions that are relative to caring for Dad....have to do with financial resources.....as resources get less and less, you can apply for Medicaid to take over, but there are lots of conditions to plan for due to the 5 year look back period...or if he were a Vet, there is a program called Aid and Attendance through the VA system as well. It is a lot of work and time to apply for both these programs. I was very glad I had a lawfirm to help with this and to know exactly how to do it. My Dad was eventually on Medicaid to live in his Memory Care facility, even though he was a WWII vet entitled to Aid and Attendance. We needed to preserve half of his estate to care for Mom, and that is all a long story. Now we are apply first for Aid and Attendance for Mom, with a Medicaid application as a back up plan, and she is in AL with her home on the market to continue to provide for payments at AL, because all her cash resources are used up except for her SS and my Dad's retirement.. It's been a long, hard 4 years that I have been doing this, and I cannot imagine how I would have survived with out the law office support, while living afar. You do need those eyes and ears in the same town, who can communicate with you what is really going on and help you find the other help you need until he is placed in a safe place. Even then, you will need to monitor that he getting all that he needs for the rest of his life....
If the Durable POA is well written there should not be a need to seek guardianship. Guardianship is a complicated and expensive legal process that invites the legal system into your daily lives. I would only pursue guardianship if the Durable POA is preventing you from effectively executing the business of supporting you father in laws daily living requirement. If you are going to have home care I might suggest a comprehensive assessment from a Geriatric Care Manager. Often a professional person coming in and assessing your fathers needs can facilitate the conversation to move your father in law into the level of care his circumstances requires. Home Care is great if he just needs support with activities of daily living, but what you say about this needs leads me to believe that he might require a higher level of care. I believe care management will support your situation well. Go online to search Aging life care professionals. Seek a seasoned registered nurse or a company that has several employees. A company with several employees can often use collaboration amount their team to support their clients better than an individual can.
Too often it seems that people are using this site to rant. Very unfortunate.
I am an RN and have a husband at home with early Parkinsons. Done my research. Parkinson's does come with dementia attached for some people. If any of this is happening with your Dad, you could be looking at needing Memory Care for him also. Most AL and Memory Care will insist that residents be able to be at least up and about in a wheelchair, but preferably ambulatory with a walker. Is he already using a walker? Does he have a neurologist to manage his treatment? Where is he on medications? My husband is still on the first line med of Carbidopa/Levodopa. His neurologist said there are about 3-4 more drugs to try as the disease progresses, to keep the symptoms under control. This is sort of where a geriatric case manager, especially if an RN, would help....to assess the changes that show worsening of the disease process. Other questions that are relative to caring for Dad....have to do with financial resources.....as resources get less and less, you can apply for Medicaid to take over, but there are lots of conditions to plan for due to the 5 year look back period...or if he were a Vet, there is a program called Aid and Attendance through the VA system as well. It is a lot of work and time to apply for both these programs. I was very glad I had a lawfirm to help with this and to know exactly how to do it. My Dad was eventually on Medicaid to live in his Memory Care facility, even though he was a WWII vet entitled to Aid and Attendance. We needed to preserve half of his estate to care for Mom, and that is all a long story. Now we are apply first for Aid and Attendance for Mom, with a Medicaid application as a back up plan, and she is in AL with her home on the market to continue to provide for payments at AL, because all her cash resources are used up except for her SS and my Dad's retirement.. It's been a long, hard 4 years that I have been doing this, and I cannot imagine how I would have survived with out the law office support, while living afar. You do need those eyes and ears in the same town, who can communicate with you what is really going on and help you find the other help you need until he is placed in a safe place. Even then, you will need to monitor that he getting all that he needs for the rest of his life....