Green Park Senior Living Community

If you encounter a problem at a nursing home, the first step is to talk to the staff about reporting procedures. Many facilities have social workers or other professionals on hand specifically to deal with problems that may arise. The facility should also have a procedure in place to report problems internally. If the problem isn’t solved, you can report the nursing home to a state office or advocacy group. Your state’s department of health should have information available about how to report a nursing home.

For many people, the high costs of a nursing home are far outside of their monthly budget. If you don’t have the money to pay for a nursing home, Medicaid will be the best option in most cases. Medicare requirements are determined by state governments and can differ based on where you live, but your income will need to be under a certain amount in order to qualify. In most cases, you will also be required to sell any property that you aren’t living in and sell any existing investments you have before you can qualify for Medicaid coverage.

Medicaid has spousal protection rules in place, which vary from state to state. These rules are in place to ensure that the spouse can keep the assets and income they need to live comfortably. In most cases, spouses can continue to use the entirety of their own income. They may be able to access a portion of their spouse’s income, depending on the situation. The spouse will also be able to keep 50 percent of the couple’s total joint assets.

There are a few different things you can do with your property to avoid having it seized by Medicaid. One option is to put your home into an irrevocable trust, which legally protects your property from Medicaid. You may also be able to protect your property by forming a life estate or gifting it to someone. However, there can be complicated tax ramifications to these actions, so it’s best to talk to a lawyer before doing so.

Nursing home expenses can be drastically different depending on what state you are in. Learn more information about the average costs for a month in a private room in a nursing home in each state.