Why Seniors Can be In Trouble If They Don’t Have a Nursing Home Plan
By Barry Zimmer on February 8th, 2018 in Elder Law
Cincinnati nursing home lawyers offer assistance to individuals who want to ensure they are prepared in case nursing home care becomes necessary. While you may not want to think about the day when you can’t live by yourself any more and you must move into a nursing home, it is far better to plan ahead for this eventuality than to leave your fate to chance and hope you don’t end up needing nursing home care.
If you want to make a nursing home plan, Zimmer Law Firm is here to help. Our Cincinnati nursing home lawyers will work closely with you to identify the issues you should address in connection with making plans for nursing home care. We can also provide you with personalized advice on how to implement your nursing home plan so you have the peace-of-mind of knowing what will happen if you become sick or hurt and must move to a nursing home.
You should give us a call today to get your plans underway because if you don’t put a plan in place, you and your family could find yourself in a bad situation. Here are a few of the key reasons why you could find yourself facing serious problems if you haven’t made a nursing home plan in advance of the time when you need one.
You Might End Up Stuck With Costly Bills
If you need nursing home care and you haven’t put a plan in place, one of the biggest issues you’ll likely face is a financial issue.
The problem is, Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Medigap policies, and most private insurers simply won’t provide coverage for the kind of care that’s most likely to send you to a nursing home. While Medicare and other insurers cover skilled nursing care, most people need custodial care — or routine assistance with basic tasks that you do daily, such as showering or eating. This means you could find yourself forced to pay out of pocket for the astronomical costs associated with moving to a nursing home.
To make sure you don’t get hit with big bills, you’ll need to either purchase a very good long-term care insurance policy and maintain that policy, or you will need to work with Cincinnati nursing home lawyers to make a Medicaid plan to get means-tested Medicaid benefits to pay for your care.
Your Loved Ones May be Put Into a Difficult Position
If you haven’t made an advanced plan in case you need nursing home care, your family may need to take steps to have a guardian or conservator named who has the authority to select a nursing home for you and admit you to the home.
Your loved ones will also have to try to decide which nursing home you would have found to be the best one. Often, people experience guilt when putting older relatives into a nursing home even if doing so is the best thing for the senior. You can relieve your family of any feelings of guilt, along with the stress of trying to find the right nursing home and transfer you into it, if you’ve made your own advanced plans for nursing home care.
You Could End Up In a Nursing Home That Doesn’t Respect Your Rights
If you or your family must scramble at the last minute in order to find a nursing home, chances are good you won’t have a lot of time to research different options. In fact, if you need to move to a nursing home because you are sick or hurt, chances are good you’ll be discharged from the hospital and need to find somewhere to go very quickly. This could lead to you or your loved ones simply having to accept the first nursing home with an open bed– even if the facility isn’t reviewed very favorably and has a bad reputation for caring for seniors.
Signing admissions paperwork, and reviewing it carefully, can also be difficult in an emergency. As a result, some families may miss important clauses in nursing home admissions contracts such as arbitration clauses that end up preventing grievances from being litigated.
You don’t want to just accept your rights being abridged because you didn’t have time to fully research the nursing home admissions paperwork, particularly if you could find a facility that is more respectful of your rights. By finding a care facility in advance, you can understand the contract and ensure that you’re choosing a home that will treat you right.
Getting Help from Cincinnati Nursing Home Lawyers
Cincinnati nursing home lawyers at Zimmer Law Firm can provide personalized help with the nursing home planning process. To learn more about the services we offer, give us a call at 513.721.1513, You can also join us for a free seminar to get more information about the nursing home planning process and other issues affecting you as you grow older. Contact us now to learn more.