My parents have a revocable trust. While they are alive can they sell the house that is in the trust and buy another house?

Please see an attorney to make sure you aren’t jeopardizing your parents ability to access Medicaid should it be needed.

Anything you do needs to have all aspects thoroughly investigated BEFORE you do them.

Revocable means revocable so CAN you do it legally is not the problem. SHOULD you do it is the issue. And we can’t tell you the answer to that. There are too many variables.

Moving in with another family is always difficult under the best of circumstances.
Your mom no doubt needs help but it would be the end of your own family life. That’s not an exaggeration.

Move your parents closer. That’s a great idea but into the same house is a huge step that could jeopardize all four of your financial futures if not handled properly upfront.
Not to mention your mental health.

Any move is hard on a person with dementia. It usually causes an acceleration.
So whichever move is made for dad should be totally checked out beforehand.

Do you have children? Grands? Are they in your life now? Do you and your wife have great health? Are you willing to forgo your own retirement to become caretakers?

Even if they moved into an ALF you would be busy with their care but no comparison to having them every moment of every day.

It’s good your mom is doing good now but that can all change with one fall.

Does your wife have parents or loved ones who might need her help? Would they be moving in too? Do you have siblings?

Hopefully you will sort through all the possibilities and come up with a good plan. There is a lot of good information on this forum of families who struggle with the very difficult job of being a caretaker.

The good news is your mom knows she needs help and is willing to move. That’s a hill many battles are lost on.
It sounds like she’s open to legal advise as they have the home in a trust.
So you have a lot going your way.
Just be careful.

travelindan52, with a Revocable Trust, the Trustees [your parents] can do whatever they want. These trusts helps eliminate the need of time involved with Probate later down the road. My Dad's probate was almost 2 years due to the backlog with the County, thus nothing could be distributed for those 2 years, and I had to do IRS Income Taxes those 2 years for my late Dad.

By co-mingling funds with your parents for purchasing a house, it can be quite squirrely if your parents find that they need the help of Medicaid for their care later down the road [Medicaid is different from Medicare].

A better idea is for your parents to move to Independent Living which offers optional skill care for your Dad. They can use the equity they get from selling their home. That way, your parents will be around people closer to their own generation. The facility will offer housekeeping, linen service, and menu meals in the main dining area. Plus activities to keep them busy. My Dad took that route and he loved it :)

And if your Dad needs a higher level of care later on, hopefully the facility has Memory Care, where Dad can move, and your Mom remains in Independent Living. So find a facility that has different care levels. In the mean time, if Mom is social, she would have made new girl friends and that is so very important.

Look around your area and check out the senior communities and the cost. One may sounds less expensive then another but you need to find out what is included or not included in the monthly rent. Also, there is a sense of relief to the parent knowing there is a nurse on duty 24 hours a day in case the parent needs attention.

The place my Dad was in was designed liked a hotel, so it never gave him a sense of being in a facility. Believe me, he was so glad to get away from having to maintain a single family home, it was too much work for him.

Oh, another thing, when elder parents and a grown child find themselves under the same roof, the adult/child dynamics will kick in. You will once again be the "child" with your parents telling you how to do things. And, unfortunately, there cannot be two Queen Bees in a household, your wife might be overwhelmed by your Mom wanting to take control.

So much to think about. Let us know what you all decide.

You’ve been given some very experienced insight from FreqFlyer & 97 in May. I so wish I had seen your post back then.

I’m going to be more blunt. Imho financially having healthy 80+ yr olds buying a home is crazy unless they are Uber wealthy & can buy an all cash single level home that’s fully ADA in a community with big health science center nearby; and with extra $$ set aside for 5 yrs of upkeep; & ownership of house placed in a Trust or LLC; & have $ 400-500k left over to be able to private pay for care if need be for them in the next 5 yrs / decade. So there’s oodles of $ and paying for care should they eventually need it will be available and Medicaid will never ever be on the horizon.

But 85 & 86yr olds moving into a new home in another state & 1 with dementia is an extra layer of crazy.

Realistically how much will MS house sell for?
MS is a very poor state with low property value. Unless your in Oxford, the Pass, BSL or Madison Co area. So is MS a 85k house or $850,000K property? What would a suitable home cost in TN?
How much $ probably left over? Mid six figures?

Why would you give / gift your house sale $ to your folks?
Once you give them $, it’s all their asset.
Are you & your wife well off enough so won’t need the $ for another decade?

Why would your folks buy it and only in their name if you are giving them $?

Also moving totally disruptive. You already know your dad has dementia. Your mom more than likely is ok on functioning in their house as so much of her day2day is on autopilot. She has a routine that their day falls into. Moving 86 & 87 yr olds will be beyond challenging.

So you & what caregiving team are going to be on 24/7 on-call for them? You fully retired? so available to do bathing, clean up after them, medication management, doctor & other health care appointments, laundry, activities?

Or are your parents paying for in-home caregivers from an agency, from $ left over from the sale of their MS home?

You expecting family, or as you put it “my family (wife)”, to become your parents caregiver? Are you totally ok when your wife has her parents or an aunt & uncle move in with all of you?

You refer to things as “my house” as in “I will sell my house”.
So the property you and your wife live in current is ONLY in your name? If not, it is not yours, it’s not “my”, it’s jointly held community property.
Just what does your wife envision her next decade to consist of?
Your wife willing to give $ from the sale of home to your parents?

They can sell their house, co-mingling funds on any level is not a good idea. I suggest that you consult an estate attorney. They are old, they may need Medicaid in the future and if so, your interest in their home can be lost to pay back Medicaid, they do not mess around. At their age it is best to sell their house and use the funds for an AL home.