Do either of these stories sound familiar?

Elderly Mom at Home Alone. Your 85-year-old mom has been living alone at home and doing pretty well, even though you have had some concerns about her memory. One day you receive a call that she has fallen and has been admitted to the hospital for a broken hip. She has surgery and remains in the hospital for at least 3 nights. She is then released to a skilled care facility (nursing home) for rehabilitation. You start to question what her future holds and whether she will be able to return home.

You are told that Medicare will cover the nursing home cost for the first 20 days, and then there will be a co-pay after day 20 that may or may not be covered by her Medicare supplement. You continue to wonder what the future holds.

After 25 days in the nursing home, the social worker tells you that your mom has stopped making progress with her therapy and Medicare will no longer pay for her care. You are told she will be “private pay” going forward.

Mom has made great strides in physical therapy, but she is still not able to walk alone, dress herself, or toilet independently. Her memory problems have become worse. She is not able to return home to live alone. You need help with figuring out a plan for her care long term and how her care will be financed.

Dad with Dementia and Exhausted Mom Caregiver. You dad was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago but has been in denial about the symptoms and diagnosis ever since. Your mom has been the primary caregiver, a task which gets more difficult each day. Dad’s condition is deteriorating, and mom is worn out. Mom starts to develop her own physical health problems, and you can see the stress on her face constantly. You live in the same town but have a busy life with your family and job. You are in that sandwich generation. You worry about what will happen to their assets if your dad has to go to a nursing home, and your mom swears he “will never go to a nursing home.” But you are concerned about how much longer your mom can continue with the caregiving.   

If these scenarios sound familiar, rest assured that you are not alone. Freitag & Martoglio assists clients in this situation everyday. Please contact us to schedule an initial meeting to review your family situation and attorney Paige Freitag will provide advice about options available and what steps to take. We are here to help. Our focus is you.