When one member of a couple needs nursing home care, and if you are asking MassHealth to assist with the monthly bill, then the healthy spouse at home may keep only $113,640 in liquid assets, in addition to her home. For a younger spouse with many years ahead of her, reducing her liquid assets...
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Heard in the Office: “I Don’t Want the Nursing Home to Take My House.”
I hear this a lot. Let’s be clear on the very basics. If you’ve watched friends go to a nursing home and “lose the house,” it’s not the nursing home forcing them to sell. Like all medical providers, nursing homes need to be paid.
Your Medicare and supplemental health insurance policy (ex. MediGap) will pay...
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Testifying at the State House
Earlier this summer, I made the big trek to Boston, all the way to the State House. (We are so lucky on the South Shore, we get to take a boat to Boston!) Along with some colleagues, I testified on some bills that we have before the legislature. “We” being the
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What Goes into a Caregiver Contract?
If as a parent and child, you have agreed that the child will care for her parent in exchange for compensation, you need to work with an elder law attorney to draft a caregiver contract, as discussed in earlier posts.
What will your attorney put into the contract? She will list...
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Paying Your Children to Care for You? Put it in Writing.
As they need more help with daily tasks, many parents prefer to have their kids helping them rather than hiring an aide. And many children want to be helping their parents, if only they could afford to quit their job.
One solution is for the parent to hire the child. I discuss...
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Always Keep Time & Expense Records When Helping Another
So many children, nieces and nephews, and good neighbors pitch in to do heavy lifting for an aging or disabled family member or friend. You may be running errands, cleaning out a basement, doing weekly grocery trips. We do these things on a volunteer basis, usually receiving just reimbursement for purchases made. And...
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