medicaid

Medicaid Planning: Will it Work For You?

by with No Comment MedicaidNursing Home

Concerns about the cost of nursing homes are common questions brought up by many elder law clients in their first meeting with an attorney. It can be very difficult to make the decision to move a loved one or yourself to a long term care facility but you can’t do this without considering the possible financial consequences. medicaid

Misunderstandings or mistakes made around this financial process can expose you and your loved ones to unnecessary risks. Nursing home bills can cost anywhere from $8,000 to over $13,000 per month. Many people also end up staying in the nursing home for longer than they expect and for someone with a more progressive disease like dementia, it could be the rest of their life.

There are three primary ways to pay for long term care and the more you know about each of the options, the easier it will be for you to plan. You can pay out of pocket using your own savings, with long term care insurance or with Medicaid. Medicaid pre-planning is a legitimate and legal tactic that you can use with the help of an experienced elder law attorney. In New Hampshire, Medicaid can pay for long term care in a nursing home for as long as necessary once you have qualified but it is the qualification process that is often misunderstood. Pre-planning and crisis planning are two different components of the Medicaid process. 

Crisis planning refers to reaching out to an estate planning lawyer when you or a love one needs to go into a nursing home quickly. Pre-planning, however, looks at years long strategies that you can use to effectively plan in advance for the possibility of needing Medicaid. When done properly, pre-planning can give you confidence and peace of mind.

 

 

How to Pick the Right Nursing Home in NH

by Elder LawNursing Home

Does your New Hampshire based family member need support what other family members can provide or keep up with? You’re not alone. Even a family member who has been relatively healthy can experience disability or sudden illness that makes it difficult or impossible for them to live on their own.

The selection of the right nursing home requires a lot of care and consideration. It’s never an easy choice, as you’re trying to balance the quality and type of care provided, the expense, and what will make for the easiest transition with your loved one.

When taking next steps with this process, do the following:

  • Really understand your loved one’s diagnosis so that if they have advanced needs for particular issues, like Alzheimers, that the facility in question provides this kind of support.
  • Read review of the nursing home first and get a clear understanding of the general atmosphere as well as what life would be life for your loved one.
  • Schedule an in-person visit. You can tell a lot by setting aside the time to come in person and ask questions of key staff members.

Our New Hampshire elder law office has helped many families in this situation before. To qualify for Medicaid in NH, you need to answer a few important questions and be prepared for this transition. Building a Medicaid qualification plan and discussing other important elder law issues can be made much easier by setting up a time to speak with a law firm.

 

 

New Hampshire Lawmakers Investigate Nursing Home Safety

by Elder LawNursing Home

In light of COVID-19, the focus on safety and patient outcomes at nursing homes has become more important than ever. The nursing homes in New Hampshire are no exception, and legislators in the state want to know how the pandemic has impacted residents of these facilities.

A legislative committee has been formed to look into the issues and complete a report about some of the chief concerns and an overall picture of safety level in a few months. That committee has just begun its work. With a total of 74 nursing homes in New Hampshire and an increasing number of people in their elder years needing long term care support from these facilities, both those who might become residents and the family members of those potential residents have safety and quality of life top of mind when selecting a location.

The primary reason that the committee was formed was because patients inside nursing homes and long-term care (LTC) facilities make up more than 80 percent of the COVID-19 deaths within the state even though they only represent 30 percent of infections.

In addition to looking for more details on how the pandemic has disproportionately affected New Hampshire’s older population, the committee will also investigate common issues in these facilities such as infection control, staffing concerns, and the risk of suicide.

A nursing home might not be on your radar, but it could quickly become part of your long-term care plan if you sustain an injury, need to recover from a major surgery, or develop cognitive issues. All of these concerns should be discussed directly with an experienced elder care lawyer in New Hampshire to ensure you have a plan in place if the need for nursing home support arises. Our office is here to help you understand the legal impacts and financial concerns surrounding your elder law plan.