I know medicaid will kick in at that point but right now she has her own apartment in a private place. I hate to alarm her as who knows if she will outlive her money at 92 but the day is not that far away...
Does the assisted living accept Medicaid? Have you begun the Medicaid application process yet? If she only has about a year-and-a-half left in money can she spend down so she'd be accepted for Medicaid?
My instinct is NOT to tell her about it until you have to. Knowing about a problem, and being powerless to fix it is hard for anyone, and especially hard on the elderly.
Before I'd discuss it with Mom I'd discuss it with the facility. Do they accept Medicaid from residents that have been self-paying for a number of years?
Yes, that was my instinct, too. She would obsess over it. They do have a few slots for medicaid people but they said she might have to share a room which would kill her. Maybe I can cover the room if medicaid covers the actual care. But it's 100k a year right now..Thanks!
If she has gotten through all the ups and downs of life for 92 years, I doubt that sharing a room will kill her. It might make her unhappy for a while. If she has been self-supporting for 10 years in ALF she should feel extremely proud! When the time comes that she has to accept aid and abide by those rules she can be glad she didn't need that from the very beginning, as so many people do. She's had a wonderful run for her money. I am sorry if/when that will come to an end, but if she cans stay in the same facility where she is known and she knows staff and residents, that will be a good thing.
Do look into what you have to do if/when the time comes. Be prepared, but don't borrow trouble ahead of time. There is plenty to deal with right now!
Do look into what you have to do if/when the time comes. Be prepared, but don't borrow trouble ahead of time. There is plenty to deal with right now!