Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
My mom is 94 years old and just recently had a stroke. She just came home from rehab, but I have I been caring for her for the past five years. This is where I resign and quit my job so I can care for my mom.
I don't like quit claim deeds. They are messy. Talk to a lawyer experienced in elder care to see if a penalty-free transfer would be possible under the circumstances. That may be your best way to go.
If your mother does go on Medicaid and you have cared for her full-time for over two years, you could qualify for a caregiver exemption from Medicaid recovery. States differ in how they handle this. Sometimes the caregiver is granted the house outright. Sometimes they can live there until they decide to move or die -- a life estate. Find out how your state handles the exemption and it could give you an idea what to do about transferring the house.
Just a clarification - it's not MediCARE that goes after the estate for recovery, it's MediCAID. Not being nit-picky, just explaining so you use the right terminology when discussing it with an attorney or family members.
I am living through this right now with my parents' home - it was not protected and I'm dealing with Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (MERP), having to get appraisals, quotes and all kinds of paperwork together to prove to them that I should be able to keep the house.
To avoid that, do as others have mentioned here and get to an elder law or estate law attorney ASAP. At your mother's age and with her health conditions, you need to get this done as soon as possible. Don't wait, thinking you have time to do it. I kept putting it off because I didn't have the extra money to spend on doing it - and then Mom passed away very suddenly at age 76. Not trying to be ghoulish or morbid here, just stating facts - get this handled as soon as possible, or you will definitely regret it later.
I agree with JessieBelle above, quit claim deeds are messy.... like with Mom qualifying for Medicaid, and when you sell the house there could be Capital Gains Taxes as the tax bases will be based on how much your Mom paid for the house when she bought it. It's much better to inherit the house.
If your Mom does need to be placed in a skilled facility and Medicaid [different from Medicare] will be paying for everything, Medicaid would want to be reimbursed as Medicaid is funded with taxpayers money and some Federal funds. There are exemptions.
As others have mentioned, make an appointment with an Elder Law Attorney who will guide you.
If she signs the house over to you now, Medicaid views it as a gift. Bad news.
Apply for Medicaid right now. You mom is allowed to own a house without it being considered an asset in terms of eligibility. Medicaid offers several good benefits for persons who are still in their homes, such as paying medicine co-pays, perhaps approving money for house cleaning/laundry help, maybe an aide for a certain number of hours that could be respite for you. So, good. Mom stays at home and has in-home benefits for a while, and then she really does need a nursing home. Good again. She already has Medicaid coverage so the financial piece is easier.
(All this while she still owns the house.)
Then she dies. The state wants to recover its expenses from the sale of the house. But wait! There may be an exception here. Her daughter lives in it, and she took care of the Medicaid recipient for more than 2 years. That saved us money because it kept her out of the nursing home longer. Daughter can keep the house. As Jessie says, exactly how this happens may vary from stat to state, but you won't be out in the street in any state.
It seems that you have consulted an Elder Law specialist and you are not willing to take that advice. Do NOT accept the large gift of a house from your mother and then try to apply for Medicaid for her. Ain't gonna work. That "gift" would create a big penalty. But if you do things in the proper order, you will get the house (as you deserve).
I did get advice from a elderly lawyer and that was to put my mom in a home get her on Medicaid and then quit claim the house over to me because I was her caregiver for over two years I don't want to put my mom in a home right now but I do want her to sign the house over to me because they been her caregiver for five years and now with the stroke it's even more intense
Just wondering- do you have any siblings that might make a fuss about you getting the house? Just considering all the angles that might cause a problem for you down the road.
KatieKate is exactly right, and that's what I'm dealing with right now. MERP (Medicaid Estate Recovery Program) requires that I provide all kinds of red tape paperwork to prove that I was Mom's caregiver for 2 years before the NH came into the picture, plus to prove the value (or lack thereof) of the house.
Every state handles this differently, but here in Michigan, that's how it goes - they either make you sell the house and give them all the money from the sale when the owner dies, or they defer recovery until YOU, the caregiver dies or leaves the house. If you die, your heirs will be forced to sell the house and turn the money over to the state. If you leave the house, you have to sell it and turn the money over to the state. The only chance for me to keep the house is if they waive recovery based on the low value of the house. It's in poor condition and requires a huge amount of expensive repairs. If they waive recovery, then the house is mine to do with what I wish. So....this week I will turn in all the paperwork (finally) and see what happens.
The elder attorney I hired a while back told me that a lien would still be placed on the home...but that an adult child living in the home and providing in home care for the preceding 2 years would be permitted to remain. But, once vacated, the lien would mean the sale would provide proceeds for the elder care...or if deceased...to reimburse medicaid.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
If your mother does go on Medicaid and you have cared for her full-time for over two years, you could qualify for a caregiver exemption from Medicaid recovery. States differ in how they handle this. Sometimes the caregiver is granted the house outright. Sometimes they can live there until they decide to move or die -- a life estate. Find out how your state handles the exemption and it could give you an idea what to do about transferring the house.
I am living through this right now with my parents' home - it was not protected and I'm dealing with Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (MERP), having to get appraisals, quotes and all kinds of paperwork together to prove to them that I should be able to keep the house.
To avoid that, do as others have mentioned here and get to an elder law or estate law attorney ASAP. At your mother's age and with her health conditions, you need to get this done as soon as possible. Don't wait, thinking you have time to do it. I kept putting it off because I didn't have the extra money to spend on doing it - and then Mom passed away very suddenly at age 76. Not trying to be ghoulish or morbid here, just stating facts - get this handled as soon as possible, or you will definitely regret it later.
If your Mom does need to be placed in a skilled facility and Medicaid [different from Medicare] will be paying for everything, Medicaid would want to be reimbursed as Medicaid is funded with taxpayers money and some Federal funds. There are exemptions.
As others have mentioned, make an appointment with an Elder Law Attorney who will guide you.
If she signs the house over to you now, Medicaid views it as a gift. Bad news.
Apply for Medicaid right now. You mom is allowed to own a house without it being considered an asset in terms of eligibility. Medicaid offers several good benefits for persons who are still in their homes, such as paying medicine co-pays, perhaps approving money for house cleaning/laundry help, maybe an aide for a certain number of hours that could be respite for you. So, good. Mom stays at home and has in-home benefits for a while, and then she really does need a nursing home. Good again. She already has Medicaid coverage so the financial piece is easier.
(All this while she still owns the house.)
Then she dies. The state wants to recover its expenses from the sale of the house. But wait! There may be an exception here. Her daughter lives in it, and she took care of the Medicaid recipient for more than 2 years. That saved us money because it kept her out of the nursing home longer. Daughter can keep the house. As Jessie says, exactly how this happens may vary from stat to state, but you won't be out in the street in any state.
It seems that you have consulted an Elder Law specialist and you are not willing to take that advice. Do NOT accept the large gift of a house from your mother and then try to apply for Medicaid for her. Ain't gonna work. That "gift" would create a big penalty. But if you do things in the proper order, you will get the house (as you deserve).
Every state handles this differently, but here in Michigan, that's how it goes - they either make you sell the house and give them all the money from the sale when the owner dies, or they defer recovery until YOU, the caregiver dies or leaves the house. If you die, your heirs will be forced to sell the house and turn the money over to the state. If you leave the house, you have to sell it and turn the money over to the state.
The only chance for me to keep the house is if they waive recovery based on the low value of the house. It's in poor condition and requires a huge amount of expensive repairs. If they waive recovery, then the house is mine to do with what I wish. So....this week I will turn in all the paperwork (finally) and see what happens.
See All Answers