Start the process to apply for medicaid - as you work with a caseworker, i think a lot of your questions will be answered. If she has no assets and didn't give away money in the past five years - there is a good likelihood that she can qualify.
Before you take mom into your home, I'd try to find out if either there are AL waivers done by Medicaid in your state (most states do not but you never know.....) and if that isn't an option try to see if mom could qualify medically for being "at need" for a NH. So that she moves from her AL into a NH and goes into the NH "Medicaid Pending".
Mom may be totally minimum oversight at her AL and good on her ADLs and competent & cognitive. If so then a NH isn't for her.
BUT Often if they are living at home or in IL or even in AL, they have kinda been given a more cursory update of their health history even when there are issues. So they do not have the fat medical chart to show them to be "at need" for skilled nursing care aka needing a NH. But that doesn't mean that they won't qualify, it's often more that their chart needs to be updated with a more accurate health history. If moms AL is freestanding with no NH or hospice, well in my jaded viewpoint, they are apt to do whatever to keep them in AL (as usually private pay & its own lil profit center) and not look to move them along the tier from AL to a NH. If so, your mom may need to see a different MD. All NH will have a MD who is the medical director and most will have their own outside practice and know what qualifies to be "at need" for skilled care. Mom can become their patient.
Most NH admits come from a post hospitalization discharge to a NH for rehab and then it's determined that they cannot return home. Its like 70-75%. Classic is breaking a hip and they are too far along in dementia to do the rehab to return home. These elders have the fat recent medical chart needed to show a NH is needed. But for those at home, IL or even AL, you going to have to document moms needs and work with her docs to get this done and into her health history. Starting this now while she's in AL is going to be eons easier than if she's living with you and you are having to caregive / oversight 24/7 and find /schedule MD appointments plus deal with your own life. You may find that having mom after living in AL with 24/7 staff and now moves in with you is going to be overwhelming.
Mom may be totally minimum oversight at her AL and good on her ADLs and competent & cognitive. If so then a NH isn't for her.
BUT Often if they are living at home or in IL or even in AL, they have kinda been given a more cursory update of their health history even when there are issues. So they do not have the fat medical chart to show them to be "at need" for skilled nursing care aka needing a NH. But that doesn't mean that they won't qualify, it's often more that their chart needs to be updated with a more accurate health history. If moms AL is freestanding with no NH or hospice, well in my jaded viewpoint, they are apt to do whatever to keep them in AL (as usually private pay & its own lil profit center) and not look to move them along the tier from AL to a NH. If so, your mom may need to see a different MD. All NH will have a MD who is the medical director and most will have their own outside practice and know what qualifies to be "at need" for skilled care. Mom can become their patient.
Most NH admits come from a post hospitalization discharge to a NH for rehab and then it's determined that they cannot return home. Its like 70-75%. Classic is breaking a hip and they are too far along in dementia to do the rehab to return home. These elders have the fat recent medical chart needed to show a NH is needed. But for those at home, IL or even AL, you going to have to document moms needs and work with her docs to get this done and into her health history. Starting this now while she's in AL is going to be eons easier than if she's living with you and you are having to caregive / oversight 24/7 and find /schedule MD appointments plus deal with your own life. You may find that having mom after living in AL with 24/7 staff and now moves in with you is going to be overwhelming.