Nursing Home Alternatives

You might want to start here for information on assisted living.

http://www.assistedlivinginfo.com/alserve.html

Rachel116- Welcome to A2K!

There are a number of alternatives from independent living congregate care facilities, assisted living facilities, secure assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.

You need to determine exactly what you mom needs, and how much you are willing to participate in her care, before you will know what is the best place for her..

How old is she?
Does she drive?
How is her health?
Does she take a lot of meds, and can she handle them herself?
Does she need to be taken to doctors?
Can she handle her finances?
Does she need help with cooking, cleaning, bathing, dressing or toileting?
Is she mentally still sharp, or does she need protection?

For instance, my mom is going on 97. Up until last year, she lived alone in a place that I owned, just a few minutes from my place. She got meals on wheels, for some of her food. I would put her medications in one of those weekly boxes that sort out the medication by day, and morning, lunchtime, evening and bedtime. For years I took her food shopping and to the doctor, had her clothes cleaned, and handled her finances. In the last few years, she bacame just too frail, and I would shop for her by myself.

Last year I realized that she was no longer able to stay at home. She was beginning to forget to take her meds, and would forget to eat. She was still able to bathe herself. I placed her in an assisted living facility. She gets three meals a day, her medication is ordered by the home and distributed to her. Her laundry is done for her, and now that she needs it, she gets help with showering. She had started out in a walker, but is now in a wheelchair. I still handle her finances, and health insurance.

I know people who live in congregate care facilities. In that case the facility would provide one/three meal plans according to the facility, housecleaning, and towel and linen laundry service.

You really need to get a sense of the differences in thes various types of facilities, and exactly what it is with which your mother needs help. There are also services, which, for a price, will offer various types of assistance right in a person's home.

My mother is in a situation very similar to that of Phoenix's mother.

The problem is that assisted living facilities are very expensive.
If her situation were bad enough to warrant a nursing home, she could
just spend down her assets where she is and then apply for help from
medicaid. But no such help is available for assisted living. We are
between a rock and a hard place. I am searching, but have not found a
good solution.

George- I am grateful that my mom has enough money to last her for a couple of years in the assisted living facility. She is happy there. If, by chance, she lives any longer than a couple of years, (at almost 97, I really don't think that the probabilities are very good) she would have to spend down, and go to a nursing home on Medicaid.

A few months ago, the doctor hooked her up with Hospice, as she has CHF, and he certified that she has less than a year to live. They send all sorts of services her way. Before hospice, every time there was a problem, she spent hours in the emergency room. Now a nurse sees her regularly, and since Hospice, she has not gone to the ER. They make sure to deal with a problem before it reaches a critical stage. This way is far less stressful for her.

One of the great things about Hospice is that they pay for all the meds that are connected to her primary diagnosis. Even though she has Medicare Part D, before Hospice, her bill one month was $500- for meds. Last month I wrote out a check to the pharmacy for $124-. Big difference!

She seems to be very stable now. I asked Hospice what happens if she is still alive after the year, and they said that she could be recertified.

Phoenix, you are a lucky woman to have a mother that is still alive at 97. I would expect, with your genes and modern medicine, you should live to be at least 139.

Yeah, and maybe one day I will catch up to you!