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I am moving this to Caregiving, where you will get more help.
Now, just as a member, first, I am sorry you are going through this. What would they do if she had no family and no assets, I wonder. (speaking as someone who seems destined to be an elder orphan).
I am a former social worker. You should tell the social worker that you won’t take any responsibility for your mom and she is their problem. It sounds awful but I guarantee you they will suddenly make getting her Medicaid a priority. They won’t put her out on the street. They would prefer to make it your problem but legally you aren’t responsible so make it their problem. They will solve it quickly.
Yep. 35 years in social services and agree with this.
Excuse me? What if she needs to get up to hit the bathroom? Has a seizure? Another stroke? Can't call for help?
My mother was such, had to stay there 24 straight for two days. Try staying awake that long. They had bell buzzers to wake her. She said it was not a pleasant sound, thus worked well for wake ups
In NY, the caregivers work in shifts. No caregiver should be working 24 hours and sleeping on the job.
When my mother had her stroke, she lost the ability/thinking skills to push her life alert button hanging around her neck. She sat in her room with her assisted living staff walking in and out of her room. No one noticed anything. I happened to return back after an hour, immediately noticed her drooping face. I alerted the nursing homes staff to call the hospital asap.
The hospital started telling me yesterday that they are looking to discharge her soon..if she gets discharged in, say, 2 weeks...I have no way to pay for home health as neither Medicaid nor disability has kicked in yet. They are telling me that outpatient rehab post d/c is covered but not any home health.
Most of the time, patients are transferred into a rehab facility before home care. Rehab is where they learn to function again - practice walking with a walker or transferring from a bed into a wheelchair. They relearn how to eat with silverware and how to bathe themselves. It's a huge/important step before home care. It's the best way to get physical therapy.
Does the hospital think you want her in home care rather than rehab? Why skip this typical next step?
I am a former social worker. You should tell the social worker that you won’t take any responsibility for your mom and she is their problem. It sounds awful but I guarantee you they will suddenly make getting her Medicaid a priority. They won’t put her out on the street. They would prefer to make it your problem but legally you aren’t responsible so make it their problem. They will solve it quickly.
ABSOLUTELY, YES. Germaine will come along and tell you her story, but the long and short of it is, they can't force you to take her.
We are in NC and stood firm when the social workers wanted to send my father-in-law home with us after he was bouncing in and out of the hospital for problems that could be solved with skilled nursing (he has lived in the memory care unit of an ALF since March 2021). Having him here for just a few weeks when he was put out on the street by his ex was a nightmare we couldn't repeat again.
As it happened, he ended up remaining in the hospital long after it was medically necessary as they waited for a bed to open up in a skilled nursing facility. He went in under Medicare with a rehab plan; when he refused to participate in rehab (he has dementia), he was going to be kicked out of SNF. Again, we reiterated that there is no place for him to go, so we put it back in the social workers' hands to figure out. Magically, his bed in the rehab room somehow converted into a long-term skilled nursing bed. It's amazing how that happens. LOL
Put your foot down. You're already uprooting your entire life/career; you will learn quickly that caregiving is not something the average superhuman can handle and retain any semblance of their sanity.
Wow, only a year older than I. If she is 63, severely disabled, and her annual taxable income is less than the cutoff ( which is something like $17k in MA, probably comparable in your state), Medicaid enrollment should take about three working days (not placement into a nursing home, but just Medicaid enrollment). I don't understand why a hospital would write off the bills based on "charity" when they can collect Medicaid payment if she is enrolled in Medicaid asap. Now, I am not sure what the length of the procedure would be to place her in a nursing home paid by Medicaid, but basic enrollment in Medicaid should only take a couple of days.
Most of the time, patients are transferred into a rehab facility before home care. Rehab is where they learn to function again - practice walking with a walker or transferring from a bed into a wheelchair. They relearn how to eat with silverware and how to bathe themselves. It's a huge/important step before home care. It's the best way to get physical therapy.
Does the hospital think you want her in home care rather than rehab? Why skip this typical next step?
She’s currently doing rehab in the hospital.
She’s in acute rehab.
They are saying she has to be discharged to outpatient rehab because she’s indigent. Outpatient rehab means 24 hour home health post discharge.
Outpatient rehab means 24 hour home health post discharge.
I am a physical therapist working in home health.
There are 2 incorrect things with the sentence above.
1. If a patient is well enough to be in OUTpatient rehab, s/he is NOT going to get home health (HH). HH is for folks who are "homebound", i.e., who cannot leave the home. If one goes to outpatient PT, one is mobile enough to get out of the home and that is a disqualification for HH.
2. There is no such thing as "24 hour home health". Medicare will typically pay for 2-3 visits from a physical therapist and/or occupational therapist, and for 2-3 visits from an aide per week. Each visit lasts about 45 mins to 1 hr, although there's no written rule as for the duration. These visits usually go on for 60 days, and can be extended for another 60 if there's enough justification.
Medicaid is state-dependent so benefits vary. In my state, Medicaid will pay for a "sitter". I have never seen anyone having a sitter 24/7.
Of course if you pay out-of-pocket, you can have any coverage you want.
There are 2 incorrect things with the sentence above.
1. If a patient is well enough to be in OUTpatient rehab, s/he is NOT going to get home health (HH). HH is for folks who are "homebound", i.e., who cannot leave the home. If one goes to outpatient PT, one is mobile enough to get out of the home and that is a disqualification for HH.
2. There is no such thing as "24 hour home health". Medicare will typically pay for 2-3 visits from a physical therapist and/or occupational therapist, and for 2-3 visits from an aide per week. Each visit lasts about 45 mins to 1 hr, although there's no written rule as for the duration. These visits usually go on for 60 days, and can be extended for another 60 if there's enough justification.
Medicaid is state-dependent so benefits vary. In my state, Medicaid will pay for a "sitter". I have never seen anyone having a sitter 24/7.
Of course if you pay out-of-pocket, you can have any coverage you want.
What do you call it when a patient gets assistance with their ADLs at home then? Is that a sitter? I’m confused now actually because I’ve been told she would be discharged to outpatient rehab and I would need 24 hour home care…
Thanks for the info.
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