Nursing Homes

• Interview - Talking With Bill Thomas

  Bill Thomas, an outspoken nursing home reformer, talks about why old age should be a time of growth, not decline, and how we can make that happen.

• Interview - Talking With Gretchen Berland

  Physician Gretchen Berland's film Rolling shows that nothing helps you understand what life is like in a wheelchair better than seeing it for yourself.

• Interview - Talking With Barbara McVicker: Caregiving in a Dysfunctional Family

  Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents coauthor Barbara McVicker on caregiving in a dysfunctional family.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Nursing Home Evictions Underscore Need to Plan Ahead

  Nursing homes are evicting growing numbers of elderly residents. Here's how to protect seniors from nursing home evictions by establishing an eldercare plan.

• Blog Post - I need to rescue my grandmother!

  What to do if you want to take care of an elderly family member at home, but her legal guardian has put her in a nursing home.

• Blog Post - Decoding the Secret Language of Alzheimer's

  What people with Alzheimer's are really saying.

• Blog Post - National Grandparents Day September 7: A Day to Reach Out to All Elderly

  National Grandparents Day on September 7 was conceived as a day to remember lonely nursing home residents, but now honors all the elderly.

Questions & Answers

• Question - What are the most important factors in evaluating a nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Am I responsible for my father's nursing home bill?

  A person's debts may follow them after death, but children are not usually responsible for their parents' nursing home debts unless they agreed to take them on.

• Question - Will we have to pay out of pocket for nursing home care for my grandmother who has Alzheimers?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How have you handled persuading your loved one to remain in the nursing home when he or she unreasonably thinks he or she is ready to go home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I evaluate a nursing home for my parent?

  How to evaluate a nursing home: key questions to ask when choosing a nursing home for your elderly parent.

• Question - Would a nursing home be better than hospice care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Do you have any tips for moving my parente out of a nursing home back to a home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does the Department of Veterans Affairs seek reimbursement for a veteran’s nursing home care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Should I put my mom in a nursing home as her care has gotten too much for me?

  Should I put my mom in a nursing home? Putting your parent in a nursing home could be the best thing for her, physically and mentally.

• Question - Will my mother or I lose our house if she has to go into a nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get financial assistance to help with assisted living and nursing home costs?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What is my mother's liability to Medicare if she enters a nursing home?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can my mother handle my father's poor nutrition and eating habits?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Having limited resources, how do I get into a nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can I be removed as the "responsible party" from a nursing home agreement?

  It may be illegal or unenforceable for a nursing home to require a family member to be the "responsible party" for a relative's nursing home bills.

• Question - If I do not have guardianship, do I have any say over where my grandmother lives?

  Guardians can be changed – but it usually takes some pretty strong convincing and evidence before courts will agree to it.

• Question - Can Medicaid take a house to pay for nursing home care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father is completely disabled but refuses to accept 24 hour care or live in a nursing home. How can I get him to accept more help?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get my 90 yr old mother to go to a nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Will we be held responsible for the cost of the nursing home if our mother gave us monetary gifts first?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is there any financial help with the costs associated with assisted living facilities?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I take over caretaking decisions when my brother has power of attorney?

  Try getting to the root of your family member's unwillingness to carry out the duties required in a power of attorney; then, consider other action.

• Question - What can I expect regarding moving my dad from one nursing home to another in a different state?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can my father's credit card bills be set aside?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I move my mother to a nursing home near me?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - With both parents in a nursing home and me with power of attorney, can I protect their savings and house?

  Once both parents are in a nursing home, it's difficult to protect their assets. They'll have to use most of those assets to pay for their own care before Medicaid kicks in.

• Question - Can my sister put my mother away in a nursing home without asking the rest of the children?

  One sibling may have the right to help arrange nursing home care for a parent, but it feels wrong not to consult other family members about the decision.

• Question - How can we convince my uncle to enter a nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there any way to keep Medicaid from taking our mother's home if she goes into a nursing home?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can my parents access a nursing home without a hospital stay?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does my mother's savings have to be put first to her health care coverage?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I get into a nursing home with limited resources?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - What happens to a single person's house when leaving it for a nursing home?

  If Medicaid will be paying nursing home bills for a single person, the person's house must be used to reimburse Medicaid.

• Question - What are some fun activities for seniors who are confined to hospitals?

  What are some fun activities for seniors confined to hospitals or nursing home? The activities for seniors available where I work aren't all that fun.

• Question - Where do the proceeds of a house sale go towards first?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How Can I Convince my Brother Not to Leave His Nursing Home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father fell in a nursing home and I'm wondering if the nursing home should have liability insurance to cover his medical costs?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can a widow's veterans pension be protected from nursing home costs?

  A veterans pension has no protection from nursing home costs. It's difficult to protect some funds by paying for services from an adult child.

• Question - Is there a way to use my mother's assets to compensate me as her caregiver?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - In the state of MO, how many years before a parent has to go into a nursing home is it legal to turn all real estate property and money over to the adult son or daughter?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Should I move my mother to a nursing home?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - My mother of 82 has been diagnosed with alzheimers for a few...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can people "protect" their home and have Medicaid pay for nursing home care?

  Can you protect your home from Medicare while in a nursing home? You don't need to protect your home from Medicare, because it can't seize your home.

• Question - Does a living trust protect money from Medicaid consideration?

  Will putting money in a living trust protect my parent's money and help her get Medicaid? No, Medicaid considers money in a living trust an asset.

• Question - How does a care agency process bills when the elder has long term care insurance?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does any government program pay for assisted living?

  Does Medicaid pay for assisted living? Medicaid pays for assisted living instead of a nursing home if you're lucky enough to live in the right state.

• Question - What do I need to apply for Medicaid for my mother, for whom I'm guardian?

  What do I need to do to apply for Medicaid for my parent? I've spent down her assets, but I'm not sure what else I need to do to apply for Medicaid.

• Question - Is an IRA counted as an asset by Medicaid?

  Does Medicaid consider an IRA an asset? Medicaid counts IRAs as assets when assessing eligibility, unless you spent them over 60 months before.

• Question - My fiance has likely had his signature forged on a power of attorney document. What recourse do we have?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What is meant by "medically neccessary" or under what circumstances will Medicare pay for long-term care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Do we tell my grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimers, about a death in the family?

  Should I tell my relative with Alzheimer's about a death in the family? Or will the news about a death only upset an Alzheimer's patient?

• Question - Will there be any difficulty withdrawing funds from joint accounts that my mother and I share?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do we keep our family home, that is in my mum's name and she has dementia?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can SSI/Medicare/Medical/Hud Section 8 look for repayments of benefits paid to date, when I am no longer eligible for benefits going forward?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Will Medicare pay for an assisted living facility?

  Medicare doesn't pay for assisted living. Medicaid, not Medicare, pays for some assisted living for very low-income seniors in a few states.

• Question - Will Medicaid stop paying for my grandmother's assisted living facility if we take her out for the weekend or out for dinner?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My dad qualifies for Medicaid but they say my mother makes too much. Any advice on how to deal with this financial problem?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can I amend a life estate?

  Before amending a life estate, consider the possible drawbacks of the arrangement.

Tips & Reflections

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known About Nursing Homes: Geriatrician Bill Thomas

  Geriatrician Bill Thomas, founder of innovative senior housing alternatives, explains why he launched a mission to revolutionize nursing home care.

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known About Life in a Wheelchair, From Doctor and Filmmaker Gretchen Berland

  In Rolling, doctor and filmmaker Gretchen Berland shows the little interactions that can have a huge impact on the lives of people in wheelchairs.

News

• News - Nursing Homes Unprepared for Pandemic Flu Fallout

  TUESDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- If an influenza...

• News - Alzheimer's Patients React Poorly to 'Elderspeak'

  MONDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's patients...