“My dad’s health has been failing for the last few years but has been able to live on his own up until now. I am wondering what I should consider if he needs my help or other help continuing to live in his home?”

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Answer:

When a family member needs more help doing the daily activities of living by themselves there are options.

The first thing that we want to make sure of is that dad has the proper estate planning documents in place. The most important of these is a set of comprehensive power of attorney documents so that you or some other person appointed by your father has the authority to help with financial and health care decisions. Then we can move forward to what kind of care is available for your dad.

There are several area companies that will work with the family to see that dad has a caregiver. Medicaid can also help pay for these services. That service is provided by the Arkansas Waiver program where they use Medicaid nursing home dollars to pay for caregivers to come to the home. Another option maybe for assisted living or nursing facilities. However, what I see many times in these situations is a child moving in with dad or having dad move in with them to provide care. While it is an obvious choice since he is your family, moving in with dad comes with some sacrifices. Many times, the care giver child might have to give up employment in these situations.

With those big changes some families make mistakes in handling dad’s affairs and cause big problems when and if they need help from Medicaid. Call today to set up a no-charge strategy session to find out how we can help with an issue like this. To learn more, check out our website, ElrodFirm.com.