Why is the health and rehab so eager to discharge Mom because PT, OT and ST say she doesn't need any more therapy. Thought she had 20 days.

I'm glad you have taken the hard line of "you get up and do or you don't get". Wish more people would get to that point. With my father the more I helped him the more helpless he got. I learned that very quickly but getting others to understand that was a problem. They would do something for him then he would expect me to pick up the slack once they were gone. Nope.

AlvaDeer, thank you so much. Happy Holidays to you, too.
May the New Year bring peace and love to everyone!

This post is almost 2 months old. Hopefully OP got everything straightened out.

You may have UP TO 20 daysto IF they are medically necessary, The minute the need for inpatient rehab ceases to exist, out you go, You might look at this as a positive: your mother is doing so well that she doesn't need inpatient rehab anymore. Normally, after she is discharged, appropriate PT/OT and other medical services will come to her living place until it's safe for her to leave her home go to outpatient therapy if it is still needed. You may feel it's too soon for her to leave rehab yet; I felt that way, but when I got home, I realized I was doing better partly because I had to do better!

If Mom has no money, then I don't see why she will not qualify for Medicaid. Her monthly income would be the only problem. Talk to a Medicaid caseworker.

update: Mom lasted 2 days with me in home. Back to hospital. Complaints of pain and now I will start the process over of getting her placed in Long term care. Blinders have fallen off and it took my health to finally realize. She will last way longer than I ever will. But in the care of a facility.
I still have to see about Medicaid and the paying out of pocket (money she doesn't have).
I'm her DPOA.. I will sell down her assets as best I can, even though technically she doesn't have any.
I'm going to visit her in the hospital today but I'm not going to be at her beck and call from now on.
She acts like she's giving me permission to 'go home and rest'.
Thank you on here for just being here all of these years. For some of us this forum is our only lifeline.

Please forgive my grammar
*their not there.
Meant to say I had already moved Mom in there. Just too much happened all at once.

Well, I made the decision to bring my Mom home to my place. Some of you will remember 5 years ago the situation where she stayed with after stint in rehab after hurricane. It was hell.
This same place was...bad.
The stress of all of there bs and lies had me talking to the umbudsman.
We have a lawyer working on my dear brothers estate and Mom had moved in there. Lots needed to be done and she wasn't able to live alone.
I know full well to never let them move in but. I couldn't handle all of it going down at the same time.
I learned lessons from this.
Not saying she won't run me ragged. I have no illusions that is going to be easy.
She will have in home ot, pt and speech. After that we both need to heal.
Thank you for the great advice though.
Im sure I'll still read the forum because. So many in the same boat. 👩‍🦳and 🧑‍🦳

Medicare pays 100% the first 20 days. 21 to 100 days is 50% meaning Mom would pay out of pocket or her suppliment would pay. None of the 100 days is guaranteed. It all has to do with how she progresses. Medicare determines discharge.

Medicaid, have you told the NH what Moms finances are. If not, no way for them to know if she qualifies or not. What determines if she qualifies, in the end, is her monthly income of Social Security and any pension she receives. If under the income cap set by Medicaid, then she will qualify. If over, you see an Elder Lawyer about a Qualifying Income Medicaid Trust. If she has more in assets then the asset amount allowed then you spend it down. And that can be done by paying for her LTC privately. For me it was starting the Medicaid application in April. Mom placed in LTC May 1st and privately paying May and June. June proving she was spent down and all info needed provided. July 1st Medicaid began. All the asset my Mom had was her home and thats exempt. I used no NH or lawyer for the application. Just me and the Medicaid caseworker. My State only allows 90 days for spending down, getting them info needed and finding a place. So you don't apply too early if there is money to pay privately.

Since your brother died intestate, I think I would use a lawyer. I had already had done the list of things probate gave me. My problem was the house was left to my brother and he did not want it. So I had to hire a lawyer to put it back in the estate. He then helped in the closing of the house and the final audit of the estate. Because your brother had no Will, the State determines who inherits. For this reason, I would get a lawyer.

We post this response all the time here....unsafe discharge is the term

No, you don't "get 20 days". You can be COVERED for that if it is NEEDED and need is judged by those evaluating and giving care. They HAVE evaluated and they say that more care isn't needed. Sometimes they say that a patient "cannot participate" or "will not participate" in more care, or that more care wouldn't benefit because patient cannot mentally or/and physically tolerate. And etc.

You say she is being discharged in three days. You say she will be in long term care in a few days. So I fail to see how this will not work. As to coverage, if she has too many assets she will have to spend those down, and then Medicaid can be applied for. The good news there is that the Nursing Home can help you to apply for that in most circumstances.

You say you are POA here, but are busy dealing with an estate without a will. For that you will need a probate attorney. Lean on one and let them do the work and take the money for it. If there IS no money there is honestly no estate.

If you feel you are not qualified either to act as the administrator or executor of an estate OR as the POA to Mom you need to see an attorney and resign this duty, leaving it to the state for guardianship in the case of Mom and for administration of estate in the case of brother.

You have had a tremendous amount of loss. Now Mom has broken ribs and that's a while lot of pain AND loss for her going into care. Your anxiety level must be off the charts. Get all the help you can here, and if you are unable to do this, see an attorney (Mom's POA pays for this--this is covered by her funds for your POA) and resign this duty. No one has to serve in a capacity they feel they cannot handle. I am so sorry for the loss of your brother and your Mom's pain. And for all you are going through.