You don’t Want to Live in a Nursing Home? Then Plan Ahead!

As we age, most of us don’t envision ourselves living in a nursing home during the last chapter of our lives. We assume we will be healthy until our final moments or will have family care for us or hire caregivers in our home. We often think of our home as the place where we will live and die.

If you don’t want to live in a nursing home, there are some things you can do in advance to prepare.

Partner with Experts

An experienced CPA, financial advisor, and elder law attorney can help you strategize to make your money last longer. This step requires you to put a strategy in place in advance of needing care. A good time to have your expert team in place is at the first sign of health or memory issues. There is no magic age but instead, it depends on how you or your loved one is aging.

Explore Asset Protection Strategies

Trust planning may help preserve assets so there is more money available to take care of you as you age. Working with a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) to implement a plan for asset preservation will allow you or your loved one to receive the best quality care regardless of the setting, allow for financial independence of a well spouse and increase the potential of leaving an inheritance. Currently in the Atlanta and surrounding areas, homecare companies charge $30-$35/hour for care. Care costs can add up quickly and asset protection can help preserve your money to help pay for your future care needs.

Look For All Available Benefits

Medicaid and the Veterans Administration (VA) have programs designed to provide extra income and make payments for care. This may help keep you in your home longer. Many of these programs can take weeks or months to get so working with an elder law attorney can help you determine which option is best for you.

Talk to Your Family

Most of all, talk to your family about your wishes. Many families shy away from talking about important subjects such as their healthcare wishes. It is helpful to have everyone working toward the same goal. Our recent blog on “Mom won’t move into assisted living: can I make her?” demonstrated the importance of talking with your loved ones and having a plan in place.

What if I Live Alone Without a Support System?

Hurley Elder Care Law has many clients who are aging alone and don’t have a support network in place. They worry about who will make healthcare or financial decisions if they lose capacity and are also concerned about the care they may need in the future. We have a unique program called Aging Ally.

Who Needs an Aging Ally?

• He is unmarried or widowed with no children.
• She is aging without the support of family members.
• There are adult children spread out across the country and not readily available.
• There are adult children who are uninvolved or estranged.
• He prefers enlisting a neutral party to keep peace and tranquility in the family.
• She is concerned about burdening your family with the responsibility of care.
• He has outlived his relatives and friends.
• Her spouse is in poor health, and she is concerned about his well-being if she were to die before him.
• He is concerned that heirs would consider their needs before his when making decisions about care.
• She feels overwhelmed by the process of planning for future care needs and would like assistance from a comprehensive firm that has over 100 years of combined experience.

Call the Hurley Elder Care Law office at 404-843-0121 for a complimentary phone conversation with our intake specialist. We are happy to discuss your situation and help you figure out your best options for care.