The Elderly Parent Marathon - is this the new norm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why people need to mobilize against cuts to Medicaid. It's what is supporting many people's parents' stays in nursing homes! Even if your folks have money it may all get spent down and they'll need Medicaid to keep them in their home.

Actually, legally you can NOT keep your home and get medicaid. That's the problem. You have to sell all of your assets to qualify. And of course, the elderly parent does not want to do this is some cases. They become paranoid and think you will take all of their money. Medicaid is not the answer if they are tring to keep their house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ elderly parents going through cancer treatments can go on for years. It is gone and comes back, etc. Getting to those numerous appointments and taking care of them when they are too weak after chemo or surgery or hospitalized is a lot. My MIL went through this with skin cancer for 15 years.

But--yes if it is just an old person with no major issues other than age-related it might be different. But--often those long terminal illnesses---Parkinsons, cancer, etc. drag on for years.

Cancer, heart disease, etc aren't really terminal illnesses until (or unless) they reach a terminal, end life stage. People can live for years and years with cancer only to die decades down the road from a stroke or whatever.

Obviously, the older they get the more chronic conditions they will likely contend with - HBP, type II diabetes, etc. People can live with a disease like Alzheimer's for years and years.

That is different than caring for someone who has under a year to live which involves much shorter term planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people need to mobilize against cuts to Medicaid. It's what is supporting many people's parents' stays in nursing homes! Even if your folks have money it may all get spent down and they'll need Medicaid to keep them in their home.

Actually, legally you can NOT keep your home and get medicaid. That's the problem. You have to sell all of your assets to qualify. And of course, the elderly parent does not want to do this is some cases. They become paranoid and think you will take all of their money. Medicaid is not the answer if they are tring to keep their house.

Doesn't it depend on the state? Nursing home care is way more expensive than aging in place with an aide. And my understanding is that certain states allowed you to 'save' your home as long as everything else was spent down.