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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.
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Mostly Independent
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You can use the money to pay for a "pre paid" funeral plan. You could purchase a new bed with a nice mattress, or a hospital bed if you think it will be necessary in the future. You could buy a supply of incontinence pads. You could pay off any debt (like credit cards) that are outstanding. You could buy a motorized scooter. You could buy a nice comfortable recliner lift chair. As long as the money is spent on your mom and not gifted away or mysteriously spent as cash you should be ok. Just keep receipts.
We are going through this with my mother. My recommendation is to use a family estate lawyer. They will make sure everything is done according to Medicaid rules and you don't get in trouble down the line. As I understand it, your parent can get kicked out of the program for something YOU are doing or did in the initial setup. Our biggest obstacle has been the numerous small insurance policies my mother had been paying on for years. Insurance companies do not want to work with you in either cashing out or cancelling the policies since these are considered to be part of the estate and cannot remain there. Good luck.
I have a friend that needed to spend monies too, and Medicaid offered many of the same suggestions that Angel wrote. You can ask your local Medicaid office too.
Good answer, Angel! It's my experience, too. AS LONG AS IT'S SPENT ON HER, it's ok. Don't give it away, don't squirrel it away. They pre-paid for my in-laws' cremation (I think there is a limit on how much you can pre-pay for a funeral, so check with your case worker or counselor). They some nice clothing that they needed (coats, boots, etc.).
Is your mother going to be staying in her home (at least for a while), or in a care facility? Think about where she'll be and what she will enjoy there. Paying for long-term subscriptions to magazines she likes makes sense, or a year's subscription to her favorite newspaper if they offer that. These small items can add up once you are on the small personal care allowance. Also stock up on lotion or cosmetics she will use.
Consider that there is usually limited storage space in care centers. Don't go overboard on wardrobe additions unless someone can store them and change out selections periodically.
If Mom is the kind of lady who likes to look nice with jewelry, spend some time and money with her selecting inexpensive costume pieces. It is definitely not a good idea to have expensive items in a care center. (This does not apply if she is staying home, of course.)
Whether she intends to stay in her home or not, home maintenance and improvement items are OK. Will the roof need replacing soon? Do it now. Are there some repairs that will have to be made before selling the house? It is OK to use the spend down money on those uses.
Is there someplace Mom would really like to visit that would be feasible for her? She can spend her money on herself. Be cautious about having her spend money to bring a companion along.
Dental work as dental is not really covered by either Medicare or medicaid
Couple of crowns, implants @ canine to canine & updating the teeth in between, gum work..... All easily could spend down every penny. And imo you kinda want to do all before mom goes into a facility where she's on more on a schedule as having to leave for a good part of the day, missing lunch, therapy or activities adds to confusion.
That being said, I wish mom had bought several extra pairs of those ugly SAS shoes. She loved them and they always seems to go MIA as a pair or even solo at both NH she was at.
Question regarding this matter. As I prepare to move my Mom into my home, I have to buy medical supplies prior to moving in. At the moment, I can't ask her pay for her own items using her SS or Savings as she's still covering her Assisted Living fees until she moves out.
Could I pay for the items myself for now and have her reimburse me the costs granted I create an invoice for her stating exactly what medical supplies she's paying me back for? Will that still count in "spending down" and not be seen as a "gift" to a child?
How about an alternating pressure mattress pad? We have 2 for mom to make sure she doesn't get pressure ulcers. A nice seat cushion, can be used in car, on chair, on wheelchair....
Buying stuff is not the way to spend down. Are you asking about medicaid? Or medicare? Medicare is fir seniors. Go to an Elder Law Attorney. They have staff specializing in medicare. If you are the main caregiver, the attny can write up a contract for you to be employed by your mother. Her moneys can be pulled once/month for your income. If she has investments, get a Cert Financial Planner to set up accounts or manage whatever you have appropriately. Not only will $ be pulled for your salary, $ a separate amount can be pulled for you to pay all expenses (down). First step is to go to an Elder Law Attorney, if mom has the $$ to spend, the right attorney will guide you in the right direction. Buying a hospital bed is a no, when/if shes ready for it, medicare via hospice will pay for it. Spending on real needs, dental work, is a good idea tho.
IGLOO - try using nail polish on the sole of shoes under instep where there is little to no wear to mark her name & take a pix so they know what to look for
Buy a proper pillow & take a goodly amount of time to find it - DH & I did this before xmas & that has been great for us both [quite different to what we used prior to that] - this should be what she likes not you - this is so individualized with each person -
When we bought them there was a bed to test them on so don't just do a squeeze as this may not give optimal results - fyi pillows generally are not returnable so take your time ... maybe a 'lunch out day' if that would work - ours were over $50.00 each but worth every penny [DH & I 'gave' them as xmas gifts to each other ... most I ever spent on pillows! & we use them nearly 1/3 of every day!]
Someone in another comment said: Dental work as dental is not really covered by either Medicare or Medicaid. That is not my experience. My in-laws are on Medicaid (in Montana) and there is $1500 available for each of them for dental, every six months. We just monitor that so they don't overspend and have to pay out of pocket. It may be different, depending on the state. Just wanted to clarify that, but there is no reason why dental couldn't be paid for in the "spend down," as well, of course!
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.
Angel
I have a friend that needed to spend monies too, and Medicaid offered many of the same suggestions that Angel wrote.
You can ask your local Medicaid office too.
They pre-paid for my in-laws' cremation (I think there is a limit on how much you can pre-pay for a funeral, so check with your case worker or counselor). They some nice clothing that they needed (coats, boots, etc.).
Consider that there is usually limited storage space in care centers. Don't go overboard on wardrobe additions unless someone can store them and change out selections periodically.
If Mom is the kind of lady who likes to look nice with jewelry, spend some time and money with her selecting inexpensive costume pieces. It is definitely not a good idea to have expensive items in a care center. (This does not apply if she is staying home, of course.)
Whether she intends to stay in her home or not, home maintenance and improvement items are OK. Will the roof need replacing soon? Do it now. Are there some repairs that will have to be made before selling the house? It is OK to use the spend down money on those uses.
Is there someplace Mom would really like to visit that would be feasible for her? She can spend her money on herself. Be cautious about having her spend money to bring a companion along.
Couple of crowns, implants @ canine to canine & updating the teeth in between, gum work..... All easily could spend down every penny. And imo you kinda want to do all before mom goes into a facility where she's on more on a schedule as having to leave for a good part of the day, missing lunch, therapy or activities adds to confusion.
That being said, I wish mom had bought several extra pairs of those ugly SAS shoes. She loved them and they always seems to go MIA as a pair or even solo at both NH she was at.
Could I pay for the items myself for now and have her reimburse me the costs granted I create an invoice for her stating exactly what medical supplies she's paying me back for? Will that still count in "spending down" and not be seen as a "gift" to a child?
Buying a hospital bed is a no, when/if shes ready for it, medicare via hospice will pay for it. Spending on real needs, dental work, is a good idea tho.
Buy a proper pillow & take a goodly amount of time to find it - DH & I did this before xmas & that has been great for us both [quite different to what we used prior to that] - this should be what she likes not you - this is so individualized with each person -
When we bought them there was a bed to test them on so don't just do a squeeze as this may not give optimal results - fyi pillows generally are not returnable so take your time ... maybe a 'lunch out day' if that would work - ours were over $50.00 each but worth every penny [DH & I 'gave' them as xmas gifts to each other ... most I ever spent on pillows! & we use them nearly 1/3 of every day!]
Just wanted to clarify that, but there is no reason why dental couldn't be paid for in the "spend down," as well, of course!