Hi everyone. I hope some of you can give me your thoughts or guidance.
My dad is 92. Nursing home since March. Now has aspiration pneumonia. He has lost his ability to eat/drink. Family meeting yesterday at NH. He has declined SO much in the last month. He is in bed now - can't walk, incontinent, last stage frontotemporal dementia. A decision was made for hospice/comfort care. : (
We are Medicaid pending. Application sent in May. But they are backlogged and could take up to 4 months for approval.
Medicare stops paying the Nursing Home as of July 31.
Nursing Home told us they can do Comfort Care until the Medicaid is approved (if he last that long). Hospice will not come to the Nursing Home while we are 'pending'. BUT... I found out (NH didn't tell me this) that we can move him to a beautiful Hospice Facility a couple towns over and that Medicare pays 100%. I didn't know that Medicare pays for Hospice.
SO.... the people at the nursing home are really nice and they really care about my dad. My dad is comfortable there and now knows all the staff and they know us. The staff is always popping in to see him. We are very happy with them.
BUT... August 1... he will have NO insurance paying for his stay there. I know when the Medicaid kicks in the NH will get their money... but it's so stressful knowing we will get the bill for his stay until the Medicaid goes through. And what IF we are denied??? (Lawyer says we won't, but who knows)
IF we move him to the Hospice facility... Medicare will pay 100% and that financial stress will be lifted. And then the Medicaid can take as long as it wants. But it will be traumatic for him to be moved.
I feel so selfish thinking about money when this is really about keeping my dad comfortable. : (
Any thoughts?
I did my homework and decided that hospice at home was the way to go. they wanted to go home. I couldn't afford anymore copays per month of close to 3500.00 each, nursing and care place. medicare leads you to believe they pay all and they do not. The Hospice care are wonderful. they pay everything. medicine, diapers, hospice beds, trips required elsewhere, doctor visits which they come to your home. etc. the worry of how am I going to pay the bills was no longer an issue. the best part of hospice is they treat the patients like they were their family. they are so wonderful and loving to their patients. they will be their 100 % for you and your family.
so I decided after speaking with hospice that their dignity
was not being taken away from my parents at the end of their lives.
they are their 24 hours a day for you.
It was painful to watch parents decline in life but they were treated with golden gloves and given everything they needed to be pain free and begin there new journey in life.
dad passed and mom passed three weeks later.
I am still in touch with hospice and they call me regularly to see if
I need anything. with hospice you cant go wrong...
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