Does Medicare pay for one being placed in a nursing home?

Wishfull, welcome to the group. The idea behind Medicare is that it can only be used when some progress is to be expected. It can be used short-term for rehabilitation, but not for maintenance in a nursing facility. I think it will pay for about 100 days of rehab. If your x-step father does not have much income, you may want to see if he qualifies for Medicaid. Medicaid will pay for long term care if he qualifies. You can check with your state's Medicaid office to see what the income cap is for your state. Generally it is around $2000 a month. Medicaid is a bit complicated with regards to income caps and spending down, so it is good to consult with a counselor on what needs to be done. If you want to know more about Medicaid, look under Money and Legal in the menu above. You can also put it into the search engine for the site and find much good information. Good luck in handling things for your x-step dad. He sounds like quite a handful.

Many nursing homes provide good care. Some residents are content, and a few actually thrive, but the sad reality is that through no fault of theirs, many will never again be content. In any event, providing care for very sick or cognitively impaired people is as difficult for caregivers in a facility as it is for caregivers at home, and friends and families can have unrealistic expectations. On the other hand, responsible family members are sometimes reluctant to insist on the rights to which every resident is entitled