Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
It has been suggested before to ignore them. If coming to your home, send it back with "no longer living at this address". These collection agencies can be aggressive and use tactics that are against FTC regulations. You do not want them hounding you. Like said, they really can't sue Mom. It costs more to go to court sometimes then the debt for these agencies. I don't think contacting them will change things, they are not getting their money.
If going to her nursing home ignore. If they ever call there they will be told that Mom is a resident of a Nursing home.
My mother got a bill in her ALF during Covid that I didn't see for 9 months. It was for $16.53. Believe it or not, the company sent the bill to a collection agency after billing mom for 9 months straight, which was at least $5.00 in postage, not including time and supplies. The collection agency billed mom for another 5 months when I got a hold of ALL the bills. I paid the stupid $16.53 to the collection agency along with a note explaining the situation, and that the company was billing a 94 year old elder with dementia residing in a MEMORY CARE facility, which was ridiculous to begin with. No response. That was in April. The check was cashed 1 week later.
Now, mom is getting billed by BOTH the original company and the collection agency on a monthly basis ever since. At the Memory Care AL. Which should never have been the address in the first place.
Moral of the story: ignore bills from collection agencies. They just multiply and spread like cancer, even after they're paid. 😆
The bad news: If there is 1 debt collector looking for her, likely there will be another…..
The good news: mom is judgement proof from debt collectors except for the supercreditors which are IRS and state tax authorities. If her only income is Social security or another governmental type of retirement those cannot be attached by a debt collector or attached if she gets a judgement against her. So that debt collector really can’t do squat to mom / you but be a nuisance & that they will be for weeks till this particular debt is sold to yet another debt collector group. Can’t do anything to you either unless you co-signed on the debt, or you make the mistake of agreeing to pay off her debt to the collector or you say that your responsible for her debts. What Mrstbill & Alva wrote is mucho importante on that front.
what to do, well personally I’d sent them a certified letter with the return registered card ASAP. Like $8.00 to mail. In the letter you keep it short and terse: Mary Jane Smith, aka Mrs Frank Smith, 93, is currently an impoverished long term care resident in a NH (do not mention the NH name) on a fixed income of Social security which has the NH as her required payee as per State of Whatever Medicaid LTC program. As such, she has no income or assets to pay this debt. This letter is your notification that her social security is a legally protected as exempt from creditors or any judgment, excluding the IRS. The above referenced debt is wholly hers and she has no resources to pay the debt. TY for your attention to this.
If you think that this is just the start of a slew of debt collection issues as mom defaulted on mortgage, utilities, credit cards, etc as her finances went haywire due to dementia, I’d suggest that you rent a mail box from a packing & shipping type of store (UPS store) and use this as moms new address for all debt related mailings. But if you really think this is likely to be the only bad debt out there, do the letter but do not put your personal Address on the actual letter. Now that green card, the return registered receipt card, that one you do need to put your address on as that’s how it gets mailed back to you. Keep the debt letter, a copy of the letter and the green card and the receipt. You just want to have it handy to show you are doing your good fiduciary duty as the POA & if someone else in the family get a letter as collections is casing a wider net to find someone, anyone to pay, they can use it as their template.
If this is a bigger amount, the original creditor can issue a 1099 Cancellation of Debt to mom for the tax year it was written off by them. If that should happened, do a fresh post as folks will have suggestions as to how to deal with this.
Tell them the truth. Let them know she has no assets and is on medicaid in a nursing home. Then if they choose to get a court judgement against her they cannot get her social security whether it is going to a Nursing Home or not. She is completely judgement proof. So they ruin her credit. So what? WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER NEVER NEVER make a payment to them out of your own money using your own name. That could be considered to assume the debt and then they will come after you. After you communicate the truth to them once then never speak to them again. Debt collectors buy this debt for pennies on a dollar. They are pretty bottom of the barrel. Ignore them.
You can call them and tell them your mom is incapacitated and has no assets, or you could just ignore them. Regardless, don't let them convince you that you have to pay them from your own money. You don't, so please don't send them anything from your own assets.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
If going to her nursing home ignore. If they ever call there they will be told that Mom is a resident of a Nursing home.
Now, mom is getting billed by BOTH the original company and the collection agency on a monthly basis ever since. At the Memory Care AL. Which should never have been the address in the first place.
Moral of the story: ignore bills from collection agencies. They just multiply and spread like cancer, even after they're paid. 😆
This is your mom's debt (and if it's more than three years old, the claim is invalid anyway), not yours. Do not deal with it at all.
The good news: mom is judgement proof from debt collectors except for the supercreditors which are IRS and state tax authorities. If her only income is Social security or another governmental type of retirement those cannot be attached by a debt collector or attached if she gets a judgement against her. So that debt collector really can’t do squat to mom / you but be a nuisance & that they will be for weeks till this particular debt is sold to yet another debt collector group. Can’t do anything to you either unless you co-signed on the debt, or you make the mistake of agreeing to pay off her debt to the collector or you say that your responsible for her debts. What Mrstbill & Alva wrote is mucho importante on that front.
what to do, well personally I’d sent them a certified letter with the return registered card ASAP. Like $8.00 to mail. In the letter you keep it short and terse: Mary Jane Smith, aka Mrs Frank Smith, 93, is currently an impoverished long term care resident in a NH (do not mention the NH name) on a fixed income of Social security which has the NH as her required payee as per State of Whatever Medicaid LTC program. As such, she has no income or assets to pay this debt. This letter is your notification that her social security is a legally protected as exempt from creditors or any judgment, excluding the IRS. The above referenced debt is wholly hers and she has no resources to pay the debt. TY for your attention to this.
If you think that this is just the start of a slew of debt collection issues as mom defaulted on mortgage, utilities, credit cards, etc as her finances went haywire due to dementia, I’d suggest that you rent a mail box from a packing & shipping type of store (UPS store) and use this as moms new address for all debt related mailings. But if you really think this is likely to be the only bad debt out there, do the letter but do not put your personal Address on the actual letter. Now that green card, the return registered receipt card, that one you do need to put your address on as that’s how it gets mailed back to you. Keep the debt letter, a copy of the letter and the green card and the receipt. You just want to have it handy to show you are doing your good fiduciary duty as the POA & if someone else in the family get a letter as collections is casing a wider net to find someone, anyone to pay, they can use it as their template.
If this is a bigger amount, the original creditor can issue a 1099 Cancellation of Debt to mom for the tax year it was written off by them. If that should happened, do a fresh post as folks will have suggestions as to how to deal with this.