Dementia care for low-income senior : Where can assistance be found?

[Anonymous]

Current residency is Maryland.

Is DC, VA, or MD have the best options for someone with income under $2600/mo?

[Anonymous]

At that price? Get on the medicaid waitlist for someone to die and a room to open up. It's going to be a long wait in any area.

[Anonymous]

Income is less important that savings. They will spend down their savings and then qualify for Medicaid.

[Anonymous]

Long term care Medicaid.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PPs. Medicaid is secured but who do you call for housing assistance? This resident can no longer live independently.

[Anonymous]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470404/

If they are no longer able to meet their ADLs, then may be time to move to a nursing facility. Remaining at home is risky if there is not 24/7 care w/someone who is awake at all times.

[Anonymous]

See if there’s a local social services office. Try the county level first maybe? Or city/town?

[Anonymous]

https://aging.maryland.gov/pages/programsandservices.aspx

[Anonymous]

Virginia has the Auxiliary Grant program.

https://www.dss.virginia.gov/printer/family/as/auxgrant.cgi

[Anonymous]

Cms click on agencies that accept Medicaid

[Anonymous]

Sometimes you have to go through hospital to access services - maybe an er trip, then working with the hospital social worker to find placement. They can't discharge someone to an unsafe place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes you have to go through hospital to access services - maybe an er trip, then working with the hospital social worker to find placement. They can't discharge someone to an unsafe place.

OP, this is pretty much the case. Our mom ended up in the ER for a bladder infection that had her loopy. The staff accepted that she was no longer able to live on her own and needed to move to a nursing home with a memory care unit. We were lucky that of the four choices, one was the highly regarded nonprofit. She entered as private pay with the little money she had left, then applied for Medicaid.

Sadly, it is not uncommon for someone to be left solo at the ER as that is often the only way to get the person of limited means admitted to a nursing home. It's horrible, but also a reality when someone is no longer able to meet the criteria of living on their own yet has little to no money.

GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes you have to go through hospital to access services - maybe an er trip, then working with the hospital social worker to find placement. They can't discharge someone to an unsafe place.

OP, this is pretty much the case. Our mom ended up in the ER for a bladder infection that had her loopy. The staff accepted that she was no longer able to live on her own and needed to move to a nursing home with a memory care unit. We were lucky that of the four choices, one was the highly regarded nonprofit. She entered as private pay with the little money she had left, then applied for Medicaid.

Sadly, it is not uncommon for someone to be left solo at the ER as that is often the only way to get the person of limited means admitted to a nursing home. It's horrible, but also a reality when someone is no longer able to meet the criteria of living on their own yet has little to no money.

GL!

So you had to leave your mom solo in ER? How long did it take for the hospital to place her in the nursing home? Did your mom feel abandoned?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes you have to go through hospital to access services - maybe an er trip, then working with the hospital social worker to find placement. They can't discharge someone to an unsafe place.

OP, this is pretty much the case. Our mom ended up in the ER for a bladder infection that had her loopy. The staff accepted that she was no longer able to live on her own and needed to move to a nursing home with a memory care unit. We were lucky that of the four choices, one was the highly regarded nonprofit. She entered as private pay with the little money she had left, then applied for Medicaid.

Sadly, it is not uncommon for someone to be left solo at the ER as that is often the only way to get the person of limited means admitted to a nursing home. It's horrible, but also a reality when someone is no longer able to meet the criteria of living on their own yet has little to no money.

GL!

So you had to leave your mom solo in ER? How long did it take for the hospital to place her in the nursing home? Did your mom feel abandoned?

No, I should have made that point more clear. I do not live locally, but my cousin and aunt (mom's SIL) stopped by to visit and found her to be loopy enough that they took her to the ER. My brother then joined them there. The hospital kept her for observation/treatment for a few days. When my brother came by for one of the visits, they indicated that they believed she needed to move to a nursing home for rehab. From there, the nursing home decided that she needed to move to the memory care unit and that is where she lived for the next few years. For her it was a godsend as she needed more socialization than she was able to get living on her own.

Luckily that was not our experience, but I have heard from a number of social workers about how this happens.

[Anonymous]

It may not be a long-term solution since it sounds like she lives alone. But while you are waiting for placement somewhere you may be able to enroll her in PACE. PACE provides support to seniors (including many with dementia) who would otherwise need to move to a nursing home.

If she has Medicaid already and lives in the service area of a program:https://health.maryland.gov/mmcp/waiverprograms/Pages/PACE.aspx

In MD there is currently a program in Baltimore (Hopkins ElderPlus) and programs should be opening up soon in Montgomery and PG counties.