Marywood Health Center

Getting your loved one into a nursing home can take time, particularly if you plan on using Medicaid to pay for their care. Medicaid approval can take several months, so it’s important to plan ahead when you can. Some nursing homes will accept ‘Medicaid pending’ patients, but others may require you to use another form of payment for admission until the Medicaid goes through.

There are many factors that determine the cost of a nursing home, such as location and specific services. The average yearly cost for a semi-private room in a nursing home is $89,297, while a private room is $100,375. The costs for assisted living and retirement communities tend to be much more affordable as they do not provide extensive medical services. The average cost of an assisted living facility is $43,200 per year.

• Medicare provides some coverage for nursing facilities, but you will still be left with out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare covers 100 days at a skilled nursing facility per benefit period. In some cases, Medicare can also cover 35 hours per week of home health services.
• Medicaid assistance levels differ between states. Veterans and their spouses may also be eligible for extended assistance benefits – veterans themselves may qualify for as much as $1,794 per month in assistance for nursing home costs.
• Many people choose to pay their nursing home fees with long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance is designed to cover nursing homes, assisted living, and other ongoing healthcare needs. Some types of life insurance also provide a way to access your death benefit to pay for long-term medical coverage as needed.

Caring for someone who has dementia or Alzheimer’s can be very challenging. While every situation is different, there are some key signs that a dementia patient should be moved into a facility with care available around the clock. Some of these signs include:

• Frequent wandering
• Difficulty moving around
• No caregiver available locally
• Family caregivers are stressed and unable to maintain a balanced life

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.