The Truth About Nursing Homes: Reasons to Consider

The truth is, nursing homes are full of people who did not want to be there and whose families thought they never would.

As an elder law attorney, I often hear: “My mother will never end up in a nursing home,” or “I would never put my dad in a nursing home.”

It is all nice in theory. No one (myself included) wants to see their parents in a nursing home but, in most cases, the reasoning behind the decision is either financially driven or care-driven.

Although there may be other considerations, here are at least two good reasons that you cannot assume that your kids are going to take care of you:

1. Your children may not be financially able to pay for home health care or remodeling your home to accommodate certain health care requirements.
2. Family members may not be physically capable or geographically situated to care for you.

In 20 years of practice, I have had only one person who actually put herself into a nursing home. Her reason was because her husband was there and she was not well. However, for the most part, everybody wants to stay home for as long as they possibly can.

What is the solution? What are your options?

Planning should occur sooner rather than later. Then, if you have an accident or an illness strikes, you may be able to get home health care assistance through the Medicaid program, as opposed to having your children take care of you or having them pay for your home health care. That is probably your best case scenario.

Things are different in today’s society.

When I grew up, my entire family lived on Long Island, and we were all within half an hour from each other. Now, families are spread all over the country. In today’s world, it is much more unlikely that your kids are going to be around to help you. I would not expect my kids to uproot and come home to take care of me.

Advance planning with an elder law and estate planning attorney could make all the difference. Call today for an appointment with one of our experienced team of elder law attorneys at Russo Law Group, P.C.

How will you be cared for if you become old and unable to care for yourself?