The time may come when your elderly mother, father or other loved one cannot fully care for himself or herself. The adult children may not have the time or resources to ensure their relative’s health and safety. At that point, it may be time for him or her to move into a residential facility that can provide the care and services needed.
Many people work hard to acquire real estate and then later find that that real estate makes them ineligible for Medicaid to help pay for nursing home or in-home, long-term care.
It is estimated that by 2040, the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s, dementia or other cognitive disorders is expected to double to close to 12 million due to the aging population, according to a recent study by RBC Wealth Management and Aon.
Amid headlines of COVID-19 infiltrating nursing homes and large senior care facilities, it’s understandable that many Americans would prefer to avoid assisted living environments as they grow older. However, the trend to age in place predates the pandemic. Remaining at home was the first choice for 76% of Americans age 50 and older, according to a 2018 AARP survey.
The availability of long-term care insurance policies is continuing to decline, even as the need for such care is growing, an interagency task force led by the Treasury Department has said.
Nursing homes are expensive with an average cost in the United States of $7,698 per month (2020 average). Most people cannot afford this expense, but they are in desperate need of the services provided by nursing homes (long-term care facilities).
I am a social worker at a state facility for people with developmental disabilities. Most of the men I work with function at about 12 to 14 years of age. I am working with a gentleman who makes minimum wage and works six hours a day. He can’t have more than $1,800 in the bank or he will not be eligible for health benefits, so he has to spend his money. Otherwise, the state will take it.
Finding and elder law attorney is as easy as googling, “elder law attorney near me.” Anyone can find an elderly law attorney but finding the right one is where things get a tad difficult. If you want your elder law case to be in the right hands, then you might have to do a bit of digging.
As family members age and require care, the burden of that care often falls on an adult child. For those that leave jobs to care for family members, it can become a financial hardship for the family.