Best thing that happened to my mother… I stumbled across an independent placement company in the city she is in now. Started with that company for in home care, they referred an AL for my mom when it was time. Fast forward, I am in the midst of moving my mom across the states this next month . I did find an independent franchise company here. My mom barely has a year of money left. The AL will not make her move or share a room when Medicaid starts. Without this placement person, I would have never found my moms new home. Look up Care Patrol… otherwise research your area for a placement specialist. Hopefully you will find one. They do not charge you, they get paid by the placement in AL. try looking up in your county… resource for aged … in my county it’s called ADRC. Age disability resource center.it is run by the county. They have plenty of education available. Get educated on AL and Medicaid acceptance.. I didn’t realize that there are AL that require a year, two years , 3 years for retainment in the room/community when they go on Medicaid. The self pay. If I had moved my mother here two years ago, she would’ve been in a nicer place. And I did not know about that at the time. So do you research about Medicaid, and find the assisted-living‘sThat take Medicaid and how much self-pay is required. If Ileft my mother where she is, When she runs out of money, they will ask her to leave, and would end up in a Medicaid home ,sharing a room..
Medicare does not pay for momma's assisted living in the state of Alabama, but she is lucky that dad purchased a LTC policy that pays for her stay every month. She has to qualify every year which is a pain in the butt but she has met the qualifications for three years now. She just turned 87 and if she goes through whats left on her LTC then she will use her IRAs, equity of house that was sold and savings. Since I live out of state and siblings do not help - this is the best place for momma since she can no longer live at home from suffering hemotomas, NPH and what we expect dementia.
Medicaid may pay for an AL. You need to check your State. In NJ you pay privately for at least 2 years, Medicaid may pay. It depends on if the facility excepts Medicaid and if they have filled their quota of Medicaid recipients.
Medicare is a health insurance and so does not pay for ALs which is a living option. A limited number of ALs and MCs have applied for Medicaid status and will accept it in payment but that is rather rare. Medicaid will pay for placement in a nursing home if that is medically necessary. AL average about $3500- 5000 in NJ depending on the level of services required.
As had been mentioned, seniors who have homes, generally sell them and use the proceeds to fund their stay in ALs. Hopefully the AL is one (of the few) that has been approved to accept Medicaid, should the senior run out of funds in 2-3 years.
If you have long term care insurance that may pay for some AL although it will depend on the policy. Most people currently in their 80's did not get long term insurance because: 1- when you are 30-40 whoever imagines you will be 80. I sure didn't, lol!! 2- rates were fairly high and could change radically. My friend had long term care insurance for about 5 years and on year 6, they advised his premium was being increased by 50%! 3- like anything else even insurance companies are risky. I have a friend who has been paying for LTC insurance for over 6 years and the company, fairly well respected, just went belly up. close to a half million dollars paid in premiums and they are offering $17K in reparations. That half million could have funded long term care. $17 would last about 3 months for the two of them. Getting old is not for the faint of heart, lol!
Medicare pays for medical expenses. It does not pay for assisted living facilities or for room and board costs in a nursing home. It pays for skilled nursing care and other medical needs. The room and board costs is how nursing homes make their money. Assisted living facilities do not provide medical care or skilled nursing. So Medicare does not pay for it.
Seniors wind up selling their homes to finance a stay in Assisted Living, is what it boils down to for most. My mother pays nearly $7K a month for Memory Care Assisted Living and Medicare doesn't cover 1 red cent of that cost. Yes, they pay her medical bills, but that's about it. Wise seniors paid for long term care insurance over the years to foot the AL bill, but many didn't purchase that type of policy either, so it's self-pay the whole way. Until their money runs out and Medicaid is applied for to go into Skilled Nursing.
My parents sold their home in 2011, liquidated all of their assets, and those funds are being used to finance my mother's stay in AL. When that $$ runs out in about one year's time, I'll apply for Medicaid.
For those who can't afford AL, they struggle on their own with Social Security or go live with a family member.
That's life here in the USA, no matter what state you live in.
It's a shame too. AL facilities are a joke. All they really offer is meals, someone gives the pills, a shower once a week, and a locked door. A person declines more or gets sick and they're put in a nursing home. Most of them charge extra for things like laundry and housekeeping services. The one I worked in did. So many residents had their family members taking their laundry home to do and did their housekeeping. They should not cost nearly as much as they do. There should be some kind of living for elderly, almost like an orphanage for those who do not have money or relatives who can assume responsibility for them.
Medicare does not pay for Assisted Living or Nursinng homes. It is strictly medical, and some medical supplies. So dr visits, hospitals, wheelchair, OT, PT, xrays, lab tests etc, They will usually pay for rehab after a hospital stay, but there are conditions such as length of stay etc.
Medicaid, will pay for nursing homes and some AL, but you have to private pay until you exhaust your funds, it has strict income limits.
If you have Long Term Care Insurance, that will pay for Assisted Living and Nursing homes. Individual policies differ; my mom's pays up to $205/per day, and has a $$ cap for lifetime benefits. It pays for most of her Memory Care bill, the rest she pays from her funds. (My dad and her planned well, with LTC insurance, pensions, and retirement savings)
Prices are high, but you are getting rent, utilities, all meals, and assistance with medication management, dressing/bathing assistance if needed, and a fall monitor, so it's really not that bad of a deal. Plus socialization is a plus.
try looking up in your county… resource for aged … in my county it’s called ADRC. Age disability resource center.it is run by the county. They have plenty of education available. Get educated on AL and Medicaid acceptance.. I didn’t realize that there are AL that require a year, two years , 3 years for retainment in the room/community when they go on Medicaid. The self pay. If I had moved my mother here two years ago, she would’ve been in a nicer place. And I did not know about that at the time. So do you research about Medicaid, and find the assisted-living‘sThat take Medicaid and how much self-pay is required. If Ileft my mother where she is, When she runs out of money, they will ask her to leave, and would end up in a Medicaid home ,sharing a room..
do your do diligence , it will pay off!
AL average about $3500- 5000 in NJ depending on the level of services required.
As had been mentioned, seniors who have homes, generally sell them and use the proceeds to fund their stay in ALs. Hopefully the AL is one (of the few) that has been approved to accept Medicaid, should the senior run out of funds in 2-3 years.
If you have long term care insurance that may pay for some AL although it will depend on the policy. Most people currently in their 80's did not get long term insurance because:
1- when you are 30-40 whoever imagines you will be 80. I sure didn't, lol!!
2- rates were fairly high and could change radically. My friend had long term care insurance for about 5 years and on year 6, they advised his premium was being increased by 50%!
3- like anything else even insurance companies are risky. I have a friend who has been paying for LTC insurance for over 6 years and the company, fairly well respected, just went belly up. close to a half million dollars paid in premiums and they are offering $17K in reparations. That half million could have funded long term care. $17 would last about 3 months for the two of them. Getting old is not for the faint of heart, lol!
It pays for skilled nursing care and other medical needs. The room and board costs is how nursing homes make their money. Assisted living facilities do not provide medical care or skilled nursing. So Medicare does not pay for it.
My parents sold their home in 2011, liquidated all of their assets, and those funds are being used to finance my mother's stay in AL. When that $$ runs out in about one year's time, I'll apply for Medicaid.
For those who can't afford AL, they struggle on their own with Social Security or go live with a family member.
That's life here in the USA, no matter what state you live in.
It's a shame too. AL facilities are a joke. All they really offer is meals, someone gives the pills, a shower once a week, and a locked door. A person declines more or gets sick and they're put in a nursing home. Most of them charge extra for things like laundry and housekeeping services. The one I worked in did. So many residents had their family members taking their laundry home to do and did their housekeeping. They should not cost nearly as much as they do. There should be some kind of living for elderly, almost like an orphanage for those who do not have money or relatives who can assume responsibility for them.
Medicaid, will pay for nursing homes and some AL, but you have to private pay until you exhaust your funds, it has strict income limits.
If you have Long Term Care Insurance, that will pay for Assisted Living and Nursing homes. Individual policies differ; my mom's pays up to $205/per day, and has a $$ cap for lifetime benefits. It pays for most of her Memory Care bill, the rest she pays from her funds. (My dad and her planned well, with LTC insurance, pensions, and retirement savings)
Prices are high, but you are getting rent, utilities, all meals, and assistance with medication management, dressing/bathing assistance if needed, and a fall monitor, so it's really not that bad of a deal. Plus socialization is a plus.