As the per topic, what are my options when someone is said they have to leave AL due to requiring too much care, but you are unable to afford MC and no Medicaid bed is available in the same facility.
The price jump is far outside my budget, my parent has no assists and in our state (NJ) for the most part it seems every MC has a two year period of private pay before they can even be placed on the Medicaid list. Can they kick my parent to the curb if I am unable to afford new placement, are they responsible to find suitable placement? Their case manger told me it was my responsibly to find placement they can afford.
My advice to everyone is to put your LO's name on all waiting lists for SNF if they are using Medicaid well before they need it. If you don't need it when you are next on the waitlist, decline the offer. But, if you wait until you need it, you may be in a situation where you either have to self-pay, find somewhere that is not your ideal location or take your LO into your home.
As for your situation, as hard as it may be, you need to find somewhere else.
So off to the ER I took him, via ambulance, to get some answers. Dad had a brain tumor that had grown and it was killing him, the MRI revealed. The doctor at the ER told me that sad news and that she felt dad had 3 months to live, so it was a good idea to get him a hospice evaluation asap.
I went back to the ALF, got a hold of the Assistant ED, told her what had transpired at the ER and that we needed a hospice evaluation STAT. Hospice came in, evaluated dad, accepted him, and that's when the AL backed OFF and said they'd keep dad until DEATH, in spite of him being a 2 person assist. WITH the added help of hospice, most ALs will agree to KEEP the resident, regardless of how much care they require. Not everyone realizes this.
Is your parent eligible for hospice care at this time? Find out, that is my suggestion, b/c if they are, this may allow the AL to KEEP them until death, even if your parent winds up living for a year or more.
If my dad hadn't qualified for hospice care back then, it would have been MY responsibility to find him alternative placement elsewhere b/c the AL he lived in was private pay. It was not their duty to find him another place to live; it was MINE.
Wishing you the best of luck with all you have on your plate.
They put you into a horrible situation, but you can climb out of it and take care of your parent. It will be difficult, time consuming, and frustrating, but it is doable.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
You might also bring up this topic with your governor and elected officials.........we all face the possibility of dementia and most do not want to ruin their loved ones' life with mental and physical dependency. When you advocate for one dementia patient, you advocate for all of them. Pretty soon the Baby Boomers will need to live in tents on the public streets to get attention and funding for end-of-life-care: Motel6 for everyone, right?
There may be various things at play here but it might also be as simple as they play the balance between taking in new patients and managing their Medicare beds, it is after all a business, some are greedier than others and telling clients “your loved one needs skilled nursing but we don’t have any Medicaid beds available, you need to find your own” is always the first thing they try to weed out cases. Those that just take it at face value and take it all on themselves, the way you are, find a place for their LO without another word help lessen their case load. If the case manager doesn’t have to do any work they often won’t, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Then there is the full pay/Medicaid difference and there are a variety of “full pay” as well. If they have one bed in SN for instance and have the choice between a patient who would be coming in as full pay for 6 or even 3 months before becoming a Medicaid patient…well…on the other hand if they have a current client in your situation who is unhappy about the situation maybe they have to weigh the difference between reputation, how far you might take it and that 3 mos of extra income. I don’t know that this is the case but it wouldn’t surprise me, they are a business under the crunches of businesses rite now, especially healthcare businesses. I’m not suggesting you be difficult, I would try very hard in fact not to be, find that balance between a constant itch and difficult, help any way you can but unless your contract says something different at the very least expecting the case worker to help find an appropriate placement is not unreasonable. Don’t be the bully but don’t let yourself be bullied either. Take a deep breath, don’t panic and good luck!
Some states allow 'board and care' homes or 'rest homes' - custodial care in a home like setting. Can be a good choice.
Assisted living and memory care units are classified in most states as a person's residence.
The idea is that when you sign a contract before you move in, you are agreeing to a lease on an apartment (as in any apartment lease) and ALSO a contract for services. AL has several layers of services (with increasing prices) and memory care is more expensive.
When a person is unable to meet the requirements of being a tenant, they are asked to leave. First step to being evicted, like any tenant who refuses to pay rent. When a person needs more care than the facility can provide, then the person is violating the service contract. And that is also a condition of occupancy. So, you can be asked to leave for either reason.
If indigent - $2000 in savings and low monthly income and no liquid assets, then Medicaid can help with medical care costs.
A person must also meet the clinical criteria for SNF in order for Medicaid to pay.
A certified geriatric care manager is the person who can give you the best guidance. Usually these are RNS or master's level social workers who have additional training and experience in geriatric care management. It covers a lot more than just finding a place to live. Call your local elder services agency and see if they have a list of local resources.
Your parent maybe ready for Long-term care. If she has no assets, you can file for Medicaid LTC. They will pay for ur parent's care with their SS and any pension going towards their care. A Medicaid caseworker can help with this and it is your responsibilty to find a place. If ur parent is ready for MC they are ready for a NH. I feel my Mom was better cared for in the NH. MC is only a step up from an AL. Its more of a lockdown facilities. The care not much different than an AL in my opinion.
I fail to understand how SNF will be able to meet the increase demand in care they claim, if AL was unable to do so. Seems MC is the proper level of care with dementia.
I do have POA, if I am unable to find suitable placement that is willing to tell her, been making phone calls but it is Sunday and not many places are open. The list of names I was given their ratings and reviews were not very pleasant.
Let us say I have to place them in a less then I ideal place how do I go about trying to maintain the best quality of care while being unable to visit every single day. I still work full time.
What happens if I am unable to find a placement? Their case manger is not being very helpful.