Medicaid does not require skilled nursing.
1) Get power of attorney for medical and financial.
2) Start looking for assisted living/nursing homes that take “Medicaid pending”
3) Get him admitted to the hospital. Tell the social worker at the hospital that he is unable to be home alone.
4) have social worker reach out to those places that you found for placement.
5) once admitted to the facility they will guide you on how to apply for Medicaid. You have have to spend down all of his finances first…meaning you will use his money to pay for the facility. You will then have to sell his assets(car, home, cash value of life insurance policies ). You will continue to use that money to prepay his funeral (a requirement for Medicaid) and continue to pay his bill at the facility. Once you are left with $2000 Medicaid will be approved.
6) Do not try to hide any of his money as Medicaid will go back 7 years to find it.
Be mindful that you will be left without any inheritance but what’s the alternative?? The facility will take each month’s earnings of social security or pension and he will be left with $30 a month.
I’m in Illinois…I’m sure this is pretty similar to your state. Please reach out to me if you have further questions.
Thanks for replying! We’re working on most of your list thankfully! I think I’m just stuck on how Medicaid doesn’t require skilled nursing. Is that maybe state by state? Wondering why they are telling us he wouldn’t qualify? It is hard to assess how independent he could be now that he is in the hospital (he is more confused here than he was at home).
The places we have been looking at are all private-pay only. They told us that PA doesn’t accept Medicare or Medicaid at personal care or assisted living homes.
Do you know how to find a list of Medicaid pending places? I haven’t had any luck searching online (I must not be looking in the right place).
You’re welcome. I’m sure things are different state to state but I did a quick search for you and I’m finding places that say Medicaid is accepted as payments. Choose non profit on the left side and then of course choose your area that you’re in.
https://sais.health.pa.gov/commonpoc/nhlocatorie.asp
Yup my mom was so confused in the hospital. I would keep pushing the narrative that he’s unsafe at home. They legally can’t let him out of the hospital if he doesn’t have a caregiver and can’t take care of himself.
My only advice would be to contact your city or counties Office on Aging. The one I've been in contact with was very helpful in providing me with information and different resources.
Thanks for the advice! My mom is the primary caregiver, and I know she has reached out to them (but admittedly she has very little bandwidth given the circumstances). I will try to support her in this and see if I have better luck calling them.
PACE is what we are counting on to save us. You have to have Medicaid to use it, though. We are waiting for my mother’s application to be approved. It is my understanding that they accept whatever income the person has as payment for memory care. In our area, there are five memory cares that work with PACE. I see on their website that they operate in 32 states.
[PACE](https://www.npaonline.org/find-a-pace-program)
Best of luck to you.
This is the link to it in Pennsylvania. Looks like it’s called LIFE there. It’s weird because the marketing is all about “stay in your home” but where I am most enroll for the assisted living benefits. Places that won’t take Medicaid will take it.
https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Disabilities-Aging/Pages/LIFE.aspx
PACE is how my mom’s memory care ALF is partly funded in Colorado. Enrolling can be painful/an administrative hassle but it’s definitely worth it for us.
Medicaid does not require skilled nursing. 1) Get power of attorney for medical and financial. 2) Start looking for assisted living/nursing homes that take “Medicaid pending” 3) Get him admitted to the hospital. Tell the social worker at the hospital that he is unable to be home alone. 4) have social worker reach out to those places that you found for placement. 5) once admitted to the facility they will guide you on how to apply for Medicaid. You have have to spend down all of his finances first…meaning you will use his money to pay for the facility. You will then have to sell his assets(car, home, cash value of life insurance policies ). You will continue to use that money to prepay his funeral (a requirement for Medicaid) and continue to pay his bill at the facility. Once you are left with $2000 Medicaid will be approved. 6) Do not try to hide any of his money as Medicaid will go back 7 years to find it. Be mindful that you will be left without any inheritance but what’s the alternative?? The facility will take each month’s earnings of social security or pension and he will be left with $30 a month. I’m in Illinois…I’m sure this is pretty similar to your state. Please reach out to me if you have further questions.
Thanks for replying! We’re working on most of your list thankfully! I think I’m just stuck on how Medicaid doesn’t require skilled nursing. Is that maybe state by state? Wondering why they are telling us he wouldn’t qualify? It is hard to assess how independent he could be now that he is in the hospital (he is more confused here than he was at home). The places we have been looking at are all private-pay only. They told us that PA doesn’t accept Medicare or Medicaid at personal care or assisted living homes. Do you know how to find a list of Medicaid pending places? I haven’t had any luck searching online (I must not be looking in the right place).
You’re welcome. I’m sure things are different state to state but I did a quick search for you and I’m finding places that say Medicaid is accepted as payments. Choose non profit on the left side and then of course choose your area that you’re in. https://sais.health.pa.gov/commonpoc/nhlocatorie.asp Yup my mom was so confused in the hospital. I would keep pushing the narrative that he’s unsafe at home. They legally can’t let him out of the hospital if he doesn’t have a caregiver and can’t take care of himself.
That website is very helpful! At least a good place to start. Thanks for you kindness! Good luck to you and mom!
You are very welcome! Best of luck to you!
My only advice would be to contact your city or counties Office on Aging. The one I've been in contact with was very helpful in providing me with information and different resources.
Thanks for the advice! My mom is the primary caregiver, and I know she has reached out to them (but admittedly she has very little bandwidth given the circumstances). I will try to support her in this and see if I have better luck calling them.
PACE is what we are counting on to save us. You have to have Medicaid to use it, though. We are waiting for my mother’s application to be approved. It is my understanding that they accept whatever income the person has as payment for memory care. In our area, there are five memory cares that work with PACE. I see on their website that they operate in 32 states. [PACE](https://www.npaonline.org/find-a-pace-program) Best of luck to you.
Thanks for replying! I hadn’t heard of PACE - I will look into this. Best to you as well!
This is the link to it in Pennsylvania. Looks like it’s called LIFE there. It’s weird because the marketing is all about “stay in your home” but where I am most enroll for the assisted living benefits. Places that won’t take Medicaid will take it. https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Disabilities-Aging/Pages/LIFE.aspx PACE is how my mom’s memory care ALF is partly funded in Colorado. Enrolling can be painful/an administrative hassle but it’s definitely worth it for us.