Moving my mom for care near my sister in another state. Any advice?

findthejoy: Per Google and I quote (not my authoring) "The Hennepin County Financial Aid Medicaid Office is a Medicaid office you can apply at in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This facility is funded jointly by the federal government and the state government. You need to legally reside in Minnesota in order to apply for benefits at this facility."

Aging Care: Disclaimer - This is not my work.

Organizations like this one (agingcare.com) or A Place for Mom can advise. Or your sister can connect with a local social worker in her area who also can advise on your mother's options, given her financial situation. Your sister should try to find a place near her home so that she can visit frequently to oversee your mother's care. All the best to you, your Mom and your sister.

A Place for Mom and this website offer free assistance.

I moved my mom from Arizona to Wisconsin. Google care advisors placement services. They are similar to a realtor… paid by the facility. Get an independent who can meet with you, arrange tours, etc. they know what’s available taking into consideration your needs. Cost and what fits. I used an independent in AZ, I used Care Patrol , A franchise, to place my in laws, and my mom here. An invaluable service. I googled care patrol for Minneapolis, and has the franchise there. My mom was similar in your self pay availability. The facility that we placed my mom required one year of self pay but took her anyway knowing she wouldn’t make it. The facility had an agreement with my placement company they would not require her to be moved. My in laws , went on Medicaid immediately where they were placed.

my mom’s medical care was done by a NP whose job was to see patients in facilities. The facility had them coming in.

the physical move was difficult because my mom made it difficult. She wanted to bring everything. I bought her furnishings on Facebook market place. I got some nice stuff and was happy with her room.

the travel was hard. I booked first class. Our flight was canceled. Could not get out that day. Had to stay a second night in a hotel. I was on my own with her. Getting bags, walker, her in a wheelchair because she couldn’t walk the distance. Etc. .. second flight cancelled, …..(truth , I was ready to cry) be sure to notify airline if any flights changed that you need the handicap help… I didn’t know. The airline needed to know she needed the special wheelchair to get on the plane itself.

I am currently in the same situation. Just starting to work on moving my mom from AL in Florida to a SNF where I live in New York. She’s currently in a rehab facility due to a fall and fractured patella. I wish you much luck! Following this thread for others’ experience and advice since I’m doing this all on my own.

12 months financials is in a good place. Sister needs to look at facilites that take Medicaid. There can be wait lists for the good ones and she will have to make applications. Sis might want to put in 2 applications so that she will take the first available. As a self pay for a few months, when she needs Medicaid, it brings her to the top of the wait list for a bed. So she does not have to move and then she will be in one of the better facilities.
Once a bed is ready, you need to move quickly to move her as a resident of the state. You may get a 3 week notice window for the transportation, depending on how well she can travel. There may be a doctor form requirement including tests for TB. If you have trouble scheduling appointments within the window. Once your sister says that she has an application in, schedule that doctor visit, which can always be changed if need be. It may be best for long moves to get movers estimates. Sometimes a couple of rooms only mean a few hundred dollars.
both you and sis should start coordinating your efforts: she with finding and applying and you for the actual physical move. Make sure sis follows up with Medicare relocation and finding a new doctor on their website.

I had to move my mon 700 miles away so I only packed her clothes and cherished photos. I purchased gently used furniture. You can save a few boxes if you plan to travel to visit her.

Since your sister is there and she is the one with "boots on the ground" these/this is a question that she should be asking facilities that she interviews/tours.
The first questions should be.., even before arriving is. "Do you take Medicaid?" If the answer is no then I suggest moving on to another facility.
Many will want 1 to 2 years of "private pay" before they accept the resident as Medicaid.
Working with a Social Worker might make the search easier.
Contact the Area Agency on Aging and ask there if anyone can help in the search.
Another option would be consult with A Place for Mom they can help with the search.

findthejoy, I have read that moving someone who has dementia to a new city/state [Oregon to Minnesota] can be very difficult on the person.

One would need to find all new doctors for Mom. Mom would be living in an area she is not familiar is [I assume she didn't visit on a regular basis], thus something as similar as watching the local news would be confusing. She wouldn't recognize the news anchors or be familiar with the local area names.

Did Mom have friends in your area? If yes, that would be hard for her to leave.

For researching facilities, on the right side of this page is Find Care & Housing. Click on that to get help.