Wellness

[Pianomama]

What a wonderful "treasure trove" of information you all are! Thank you so much and for all the best wishes. I am going to contact an elder law attorney through my senior center. I'm also looking into the veteran thing. I have no siblings and my parents are gone, so much of this I'm doing alone. My sons try to help, but have their own health problems. Thanks again.

[goodstuff]

Absolutely sit down with a social worker in your community's senior service organization or perhaps at one of the facilities you're interested in and see what options and help may be available. An organization like A Place for Mom can also be helpful. Medicare doesn't help much with memory care, but it's possible your DH might qualify for social security disability if he has worked and the Alzheimer's has made it impossible for him to earn a living. He might be eligible for Veteran's Benefits if he served in the active military during wartime. If he goes into skilled nursing he will need to use up his financial resources to a level that meets Medicaid criteria before Medicaid will cover skilled nursing. There are various kinds of facilities that offer care for people with dementia, including some smaller licensed personal care homes that can be less expensive than the fancy, big ones.

[Big Sister]

As I said in an earlier post, your DH may be eligible for SSDI (Social Security Disability Income)

as GoodStuff suggested. He should qualify if he worked in the past, but can no longer work due to his disability.

Try to meet with someone at your local Social Security office.

[goodstuff]

The Social Security office should be able to give you information on his Social Security options, how to apply for disability, etc., but a Social Worker will be able to fill you in on a wider range of services and options available, care and residential possibilities, etc. I'd start there.

[151949]

Something to keep in mind if you are talking to a social worker at a facility -their goal is to get money to pay the facility for the patient's care. They are probably not concerned at all about the patient's spouse or her financial welfare. That is why I believe you are better off to pay for a consult with an elder care attorney first. Also, I doubt that everyone posting here is aware that even after you qualify for SSD you still have to wait 2 years to get medicare.

[Pianomama]

We applied for and began receiving Social Security Disability immediately after he was forced to retire two years ago. By the time he turns 65, he will be eligible for Medicare through disability and his age. He is also looking into whether he may be considered a veteran (served in reserves from '72 to '80).

I am going to call an elder care attorney suggested by my senior center. My mind is a jumble with all the things I need to do to protect us.

[evergreen]

My mother was in a dementia care unit which was very good and fortunately for us she qualified for Medicaid. We supplemented that with her S.S and pension and were able to get by with very little expense on our (her 5 children) part. She had dementia for 13 years and had to spend the last 9 in a care facility. We all chipped in money every month for extras such as hair care, etc. I'm sure there are resources available for you and it's just a question of finding them. You might try the hospital for suggestions or if there is a Senior Center in your area they might be able to steer you in the right direction. Good luck and best wishes.

[qualitygal]

We now have an elder care attorney. It got to a point that there were questions no one else could answer for me. It costs, but so does what you don't know for your state. I can't tell you how glad I am that we sought council.

[OCGurl]

Hi Pianomama You might also want to look for a board & care for the elderly. I was able to get my father into one as we could not afford an assisted living facility. He shares a room with a gentleman & the are 6-7 other residents there. The cost for each resident is different based on the level of care, my father is 84, can still dress, walk with a cane & functions well, however he has schizophrenia so he needs help to remember to take his meds which also include those meds for his physical well being. He has been there since January & is doing great. There is a 24/7 caretaker there at all times. He's had no episodes since being there & it's given me peace of mind. This might be another option for you. They are residential homes that have been turned into a board & care, basically renting a room & having 24 hr care, meals, laundry done etc.

[goodstuff]

On 6/25/2014 Pianomama said:

We applied for and began receiving Social Security Disability immediately after he was forced to retire two years ago. By the time he turns 65, he will be eligible for Medicare through disability and his age. He is also looking into whether he may be considered a veteran (served in reserves from '72 to '80).

I am going to call an elder care attorney suggested by my senior center. My mind is a jumble with all the things I need to do to protect us.

Yes an eldercare attorney is an excellent resource, albeit often a bit expensive. We used one in seeking care and financial help for my MIL, and he was very helpful in getting her approved for Medicaid to cover nursing home expenses. Paying his fee certainly helped to use up some of her very limited financial resources........