Alzheimer's Information Center - Alzheimer's & Dementia Patients Staying Home

How to retain the dignity and comfort of being cared for at home, instead of entering a nursing facility…

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  • Most Alzheimer’s and dementia patients ideally would like to receive care in the comfort, dignity and familiarity of their own homes, as opposed to having to spend the rest of their days in a nursing facility.

    Family members also feel better about having their loved ones at home, where they can help with care to the extent they can, and keep an eye on them.

    One of the things clients greatly appreciate about what Elder Law strategies can do for them is its ability to preserve the best quality-of-life possible. Of course, being able to stay home is, understandably, at the top of the list. While it’s unfortunate that in some circumstances, for reasons of safety, this just isn’t feasible, the good news is that in many cases it is an achievable goal. Smart planning is what makes it happen.

    There are a number of important factors that come into play when devising a strategy that will allow an individual to stay home. The first layer of legal strategy involves the whole spectrum of techniques Elder Law is known for and excels in. These include detailed analysis of your financial situation, followed by tailoring a plan that may involve transferring money and assets, setting up trusts, or establishing Advance Directives.

    The bottom line is that if you’re going to be cared for at home, you’ll need professional healthcare attendants to assist you, which are expensive. That means you’ll need Medicaid to pay for their services. Elder Law methods assist you in becoming eligible for Medicaid, while retaining the benefit of the money, income and assets you acquired over the course of your life.

    Special Planning Techniques to Help You
    Receive Care in the Comfort of Your Own Home

    In addition, there are specialized techniques that are especially valuable to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. These are:

    1. Vendorizing an Attendant: It’s relatively common for elderly, ill and disabled individuals who want care at home to have taken the initiative of hiring a person to assist them. What most people don’t realize is that it’s possible, with effective Elder Law planning, to keep this person as your personal aide, and to have Medicaid pay for her services.

      This process is called “vendorization.” The way it works is as follows: Your Elder Law attorney contacts a professional health care agency, and makes arrangements for your attendant to become their employee and to be assigned to you. They train the person, and pay the salary. Medicaid then pays the agency to cover the cost of wages.

      The beauty of this approach is that you get to keep the individual you are comfortable with, without her wages having to come out of your own pocket. You also get all the other advantages Medicaid offers you.
    2. Consumer Direct Program: This is an alternative approach to achieve the same goal, allowing you to keep, or to hire, a personal aide you feel comfortable with. You are, in effect, a home care agency with only one client.

      Medicaid will pay directly for the cost of your home care attendant. You simply report the hours worked and services performed, and Medicaid will send her a check.

    The key to making all these techniques work for you is to have an experienced New York Elder Law firm help implement them. Lamson & Cutner has years of successful experience in assisting clients and their families take all the legal, financial and administrative steps necessary to allow an Alzheimer’s patient to receive care at home.

To learn more about the advantages Elder Law planning can provide for you and your family, download Lamson & Cutner’s FREE, informative Special Reports now:

The Top Ten Elder Law Strategies for Alzheimer’s Patients and Their Families

25 Strategies to Prevent Financial Ruin for Long-Term Health Care Costs

Call Lamson & Cutner today to learn more about how you can receive care in the comfort and dignity of your own home, and have Medicaid pay for it. You can reach the firm’s Medicaid lawyers toll-free at 1 (212) 447-8690.