Important Financial Things To Remember When Someone Is Moving Into A Nursing Home
Making plans for the admittance of an elderly loved one into a nursing home can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Make sure that you have covered all the financial bases for protecting your loved one and his or her spouse before finalizing plans for a nursing home by following these steps.
Take A Closer Look At Your Loved One's Assets
Your elderly loved one could end up spending all the money that he or she has available in savings accounts and in assets, like real estate or automobiles, to pay for nursing home care. This is especially true if that person does not have a retirement plan in place with provisions made for expenses like long-term nursing care.
If your loved one's spouse is still living, laws regarding spousal impoverishment come into play. One aspect of spousal impoverishment laws include the division of assets and saved money, half of it going to spouse still living at home and the other half going to the person in a nursing home. The money and assets given to a person in a nursing home is generally used to pay for expenses related to long-term nursing care. Find out more about spousal impoverishment laws and how it affects your loved one by contacting an elder law professional like Cormac McEnery.
Entrust Someone Closest To Your Elderly Loved One
Once you have your loved one's money, assets and other property protected from the high cost of health care through spousal impoverishment laws, you might consider a living trust.
In the event that your elderly loved one succumbs to dementia or other age-related issues like Alzheimer's disease, you or someone close to that person can legally take over things like making health care decisions for him or her. Discuss with an elder law attorney about whether or not a living trust is a good idea for your loved one.
Make Sure That A Will Is In Place
While you are taking care of your elderly loved one's assets and property before he or she goes into a nursing home, you should also take the time to learn whether or not that person has a will. If he or she does not have a will in place, that person's death can be tougher than it needs to be. Discuss writing a will with your loved one while that person is still able to do so. Your elder law attorney can be helpful for learning more about the legalities associated with writing and filing a legal will.
By taking care of issues like securing your elderly loved one's assets and property, the time for moving into a nursing home can be easier on you both. By dealing with legal issues first, you have more free time to spend with your loved one without worrying about what is going to happen to his or her property and money.