Elder Care: How To Select An Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing Facility For Yourself Or A Loved One
When it comes to elder care, most people when asked typically say that they would love to stay in their own homes until they pass.
However, that is not always an option in elder care… especially if round-the-clock-care is required due to mental incapacity or other illness.
And there are some people who while hale and hearty, self-select to spend their end years in such a facility.
Whether that is because they don’t want to be a burden to their adult children or maybe they don’t have children, or because they simply prefer to take matters into their own hands.
Either way, when considering and thinking about elder care, finding a facility that meets your needs or the needs of your aging loved one, can be a task that requires time and patience.
Waiting until the last minute may work for some, but the outcome is rarely the best it could be.
Sometimes an elderly patient ends up needing to spend time in a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility after a hospital stay. In this case, the need for a facility would come up quickly and hospital staff can help you find a facility that provides the appropriate and best kind of care. Otherwise, for long-term decisions it helps to start considering what’s important for you and your spouse if making the decision together.
Also, the National Institutes of Health website is a great resource and provides a list that can be very helpful as you go about your selection process. They also provide a Medicare Nursing Home Checklist that you can print out and take with you when you visit facilities you are considering.
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-choose-nursing-home
Also, be aware that The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires each state to inspect any nursing home that gets money from the government. Homes that don’t pass inspection are not certified. Don’t be afraid to ask to see the current inspection report of any skilled nursing facility you visit.
If you have not yet gone through Medicaid Planning, which is simply a legal process of structuring assets in a way that is permissible with the State Medicaid rules to ensure that you or a loved one is (or can quickly get into) a Medicaid eligible status, give my office a call at 404-370-0696 to get this important plan in place before you start searching for a facility.
Looking to find an experienced estate lawyer in the Georgia area who is skilled in asset protection and estate plan preparation? Shannon Pawley is an attorney in Georgia with expertise in estate planning and asset protection. Shannon can provide assistance with creating an estate plan to include making a will and how to establish a trust properly. If you have questions about asset protection or questions about making an estate plan, reach out to Shannon and she will be glad to help answer all the estate planning questions you might have!
