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would the center Assisted Living Nc have to
accept only what Medicare/Social Security pays once all her assets had
been depleted?
QUESTION: My mother in law is 57 yrs old and is in mid stage Alzheimer's disease.
After a battery of tests were performed a diagnosis of Alzheimer's was
made about 2 years ago and she has declined rapidly since. She is
currently living alone in NC and we are about 90 miles away. Her only
income Security disability and Medicare and owns her own home which is
nearly paid for and could bring $50K to $60K on the market. Her home is
her only asset and her savings is about $12,000.
It has become obvious to my wife and I that we need to get her closer to
us so that we can keep closer tabs on her. We have looked into
Alzheimer's assisted living centers in the Charlotte, NC area but all we
have found so far are for profit and operated by Marriott, etc.
At her age and with her anticipated life expectancy she will burn
through her liquidated assets in less than 10 yrs. If she were to be
placed in a for profit assisted living center, would the center have to
accept only what Medicare/Social Security pays once all her assets had
been depleted? We can't seem to get a straight answer from people we
have spoken with. Thanks for your assistance.
ANSWER: I am very sorry about your mother. My mother in
law was also diagnosed with Alxheimer's and it has
been a very trying experience. We tried to move
her in with us and did so for about six months.
The situation became unbearable even with nurses
coming in during the day. We then moved her to
assisted living which besides costing $3,000 per
month gave her substandard care which jeopardized
her health - please be careful placing your
mother. Assisted living does not work well for an
Alzheimer's patient who is not pretty self
sufficient. There is not enough staff to attend
to their needs. We were lucky enough to find a
group home where she is very well taken care of
and even happy. We found here in Virginia that
there was no financial help available until all of
her personal assets are depleted. Best of luck
to you!
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