Placing your loved one in a facility can be a very emotional and trying time. There are a lot of things to think about; for instance your loved ones well-being, maybe a little guilt for making this decision, and all the steps that go along with placing your family member in a home. Somethings to consider before you even have to make that placement are: finances, how will you be able to afford to send your loved one to a facility, and who will make medical/financial decisions for the loved one when they can no longer do so. This is very over whelming and often the children are the ones making the decision to place mom or dad into a facility and they aren’t prepared. I find it quite common that the children know nothing about their finances, and don’t realize what a Power of Attorney is. You don’t want to wait until an emergency arises to have these items in place, you want to be prepared as soon as possible, so it will be a smooth transition for everyone.
Who will make the decisions when your loved one is no longer able to do so? These are things that should be discussed while they are still able to make their wishes known. It can be a hard subject to talk about, but it must be done. I suggest if no one has been appointed, you appoint one person as the medical and financial decision maker, it will cause less tension between siblings. (This is purely out of my experience, but if you have further questions please contact your lawyer.) You can do this a couple of different ways:
*Power of Attorney: This gives a person specific powers by Resident to act on behalf of Resident, in the event Resident becomes mentally incapacitated.
*Conservator: This is a person appointed by Order of the Probate Court to be responsible of Resident’s finance, but NOT medical decisions.
*Guardianship- One who is legally responsible for the care and management of the person or property of an incompetent or a minor.
Once you have decided who the appointed decision maker will be, the next step is to figure out how you will pay for a long term facility? I will start by discussing the financial aspect. There are a few different ways for paying for a facility like Sensations Memory Care Residence;
*Private Pay- This means you pay 100% out of pocket
*MI Choice- This is also known as the transitional waiver. You do have to be Medicaid eligible. This program was created to give you funding so your love can afford to get in home care, but if home care is just not enough then the transitional waiver will help you get funding for a facility that is licensed as A Home for the Aged or an Adult Foster Care.
#You can apply for this program by going to www.michigan.gov
*Veteran Benefits-You or a spouse must have spent at least one day in war to be eligible.
#Contact you local Veteran Services Officer at the county office.
*Long Term Care Insurance- Coverage that provides nursing-home care, home-health care, personal or adult day care for individuals above the age of 65 or with a chronic or disabling condition that needs constant supervision. You must remember, per their policy, they will have different coverage options available.
Hopefully, this information was helpful and not too over whelming. There are a lot of different steps to endure so please, take your time and get started early so you can be prepared. Also contact an attorney if you have any questions, they are a good guidance for people. Just breath, everything always works out.
Sensations Memory Care Residence will also be able to guide you to the correct agency!!! So don’t hesitate and give us a call!! (517)543-8101
