I'm having to put my dad in a nursing home due to not much money and I feel this will be the worse thing for him mentally. Does anyone in Gwinnett County, Georgia have a good recommendation for placement?
I'd appreciate any thoughts on this decision, as it's confusing what my next steps should be.
Thank you
2 Answers
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- If he doesn't have dementia is he willing to go somewhere voluntarily?
- Do you know what his financial resources are so that he can consider AL? In some states Medicaid can be used for some of the cost, but not all.
- Is he sick enough for LTC? Medicaid can be used for this.
- Is his memory bad enough that he needs MC? Medicaid can be used for this.
- If he does have dementia, do you have the legal authority to place him (meaning, has he been diagnosed with dementia and you have the durable PoA)?
Once you narrow down what he needs, what he can afford and who has the authority to transition him, then you need to find the right local place.
You can contact your local area's Agency on Aging for info. Here is another resource:
https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html?
Let us know how it goes and come back with more questions if you have them.
Although I am not in your state or county for that matter, I have been in your position when it came to starting the process of placing a parent. Just a suggestion as a place to start would be to find an "Area of Aging Agency" that is close enough for you to go to (I called first and told them what type of help I was looking for so they could set up an appointment with the right person). That's how I started back in 2014 within my home state. They would at the very least be able to provide you with resources if not even have placement recommendations based on your criteria. I know I panicked when I didn't know where to turn but, just having a first step which then leads to other steps helped alleviate the fears and anxiety that came along with not knowing what to do.
Please be aware that things will be more difficult in the search due to the COVID-19 situation - we had my mom in one facility and I needed to move her to another one and it was extremely stressful because so many were not allowing anyone in. In my case my 95-year old mother had COVID-19 so that even made it more complicated. I just don't want you to be surprised if there may not be as many choices due to the virus. Also, if you want to know how good a place is or isn't, I used our state's Department of Health website to find out specific information on a facility or facilities that I was interested in and looked at their records.
I hope this at least helps you get started.
Best wishes to you and your dad! I hope to one day soon read a good report!!
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