Nursing home recommendations?

Canterbury in I believe Cedar Grove............a touch more than 20  minutes but worth it

You may already be aware of this, but we learned when my mom needed to move into an assisted living/memory care facility, that some do not take Medicaid, and others have only a small number of "Medicaid beds" which usually have long waiting lists. If you think Medicaid might be necessary when assets have run out, you should ask up front and possibly try to get on the waiting list as far ahead of actual need as you can.

winchester is quite nice!

costly but nice

I work at Morris View Healthcare Center. PM me for more info if you want.

Just wanted to thank everyone for allowing me to piggyback on the advice... Going through the same thing with my Dad whose Alzheimers is advancing and need long-term memory care... 

Any experiences with Medicaid coverage? Parents have no assets to speak off..

On a related note, can anyone recommend a good attorney, specializing in eldercare issues, as well as setting up power of attorney, executor capabilities, etc. 

Thanks!

For medicaid they will do a five year look back.  If you move assets it needs to be more than five years.  If there are no assets to move, or if you parent's didn't move anything within the last few years, then don't worry about that.

Are either of your parents eligible for any type of VA coverage?  My grandfather was a WWII vet and my grandmother now gets full coverage in a VA home and receives excellent care.  All of her income does go to the VA, but we are NOT billed for the shortfall, and believe me, there is a very large shortfall each month.  Before being in the VA home my father had to cover the shortfall out of his own pocket, and it was roughly $20,000 a year.  Her income was too high to qualify her for medicaid, but too low to pay for her care.  It sucked.  Big time.  I believe New Jersey *might* now offer a Miller Trust to help with that issue, but it wasn't an option for us when she was in a regular nursing home.

I only wish we had known about the VA when my grandfather was at the end of his life, as the care my grandmother receives is much better than that my grandfather received.  One of the homes he was in on Rt 22 still gives me bad memories when I drive past it, and he was there over 20 years ago.  The only drawback is that the VA home is in Paramus.

For straight up eldercare law I was happy with Don McHugh.  However, he is apparently not very familiar with VA stuff, so if your family members qualify for that you may want to find someone else.

@blueheeler

Andrea Di Dio does elder law,
908 204 3477
adidio@themurrayfirm.com

Job Haines Home in Bloomfield.

What level of care do you need?  Nursing Homes as opposed to Assisted Living are typically for people that require a high level of care -often requiring lifts to move from bed.  Some assisted living can handle higher levels of care than others.  Job Haines has an assisted living part and a smaller Nursing section.

Thank you so much! No VA, unfortunately. Hoping for straight up Medicaid, as there are no assets save Social Security and a tiny pension. Horrified by out-of-pocket expenses that would fall on us.

spontaneous said:

For medicaid they will do a five year look back.  If you move assets it needs to be more than five years.  If there are no assets to move, or if you parent's didn't move anything within the last few years, then don't worry about that.

Are either of your parents eligible for any type of VA coverage?  My grandfather was a WWII vet and my grandmother now gets full coverage in a VA home and receives excellent care.  All of her income does go to the VA, but we are NOT billed for the shortfall, and believe me, there is a very large shortfall each month.  Before being in the VA home my father had to cover the shortfall out of his own pocket, and it was roughly $20,000 a year.  Her income was too high to qualify her for medicaid, but too low to pay for her care.  It sucked.  Big time.  I believe New Jersey *might* now offer a Miller Trust to help with that issue, but it wasn't an option for us when she was in a regular nursing home.

I only wish we had known about the VA when my grandfather was at the end of his life, as the care my grandmother receives is much better than that my grandfather received.  One of the homes he was in on Rt 22 still gives me bad memories when I drive past it, and he was there over 20 years ago.  The only drawback is that the VA home is in Paramus.


For straight up eldercare law I was happy with Don McHugh.  However, he is apparently not very familiar with VA stuff, so if your family members qualify for that you may want to find someone else.

Thank you so much!

addiemoose said:

@blueheeler

Andrea Di Dio does elder law,
908 204 3477
adidio@themurrayfirm.com

truth said:

Job Haines Home in Bloomfield.

Thank you!

Thank you! Alzheimer's is at the level where we can't manage 24-hour care, so need a good facility with memory-care expertise. Sadly, Dad is physically very fit, but the mind is gone...

mod said:

What level of care do you need?  Nursing Homes as opposed to Assisted Living are typically for people that require a high level of care -often requiring lifts to move from bed.  Some assisted living can handle higher levels of care than others.  Job Haines has an assisted living part and a smaller Nursing section.

How do you decide between Assisted Living and Nursing Home? I've put out calls to her doctors and nurses but haven't heard back yet. She needs a hoyer lift to move from bed to wheelchair but they are managing that at assisted living.

Medicaid eligibility is quite tedious. I used Senior Planning to handle it all for my uncle. 6000 flat fee which counts as part of the spend down of assets which need to get below 2000.The best way is to self pay what you can and then transition to Medicaid when assets are exhausted. Senior Planning. 732-523-2007 Adina Weise. There is so much to navigate,some facilities offer rehab then transition to different levels of care ending w skilled nursing. My Uncle was at Waterview Center in Cedar Grove. Clean facility, caring staff.

Blueheeler, income can't exceed $2,022 per month (double check to see if that amount has been updated). Income includes social security and income.  If the income is higher than that then you will need to look into a Miller trust. I know very little about those as they were not an option when my grandmother was in assisted living before we were able to get her into the VA home. If NJ does now allow Miller trusts that will be huge as it will save countless families from financial ruin. 

If you are in nursing home,and qualify for Medicaid, they will take your SS and pension by direct deposit. My uncle was getting 2500 month and Medicaid paid everything above that. He also got $30 month into his PNA [personal needs acct} The total of any assets incl a checking acct and PNA cannot exceed  2000 at any time or you become ineligble for Medicaid for the month in question. Better to keep checking at 1800 and pay attention to PNA as the total can build up and bingo, you are above 2000 and ineligble.

I looked online, and I am finding old pdf files, so I don't know what the current eligible income amount is, my previous post of $2,022 is probably outdated, but the best I can find for current limits is $2,199.  Also, there are different income limits based on the care needed.  Assisted living will have a higher income limit than nursing home care will have.

Here is a pdf on Miller trusts.  I don't know a lot about them, as they weren't an option when my grandmother was in assisted living.  They are well worth looking into.  Make sure you speak with an adviser who is knowledgeable about them, especially since they are still somewhat new in New Jersey.

http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dmahs/clients/QIT_FAQs.pdf