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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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I suggest making all bank accounts joint tenant with right of survivorship. Then you have full access. As a married spouse this should not be difficult.
You could become your wifes payee on her SS and pension if she has one. Your POA should allow you access.
As a married couple, you need to talk to an Elder Lawyer. Your assets can be split. Your wifes going to her care. When its almost gone, you apply for Medicaid. Once on Medicaid, you remain in the home, get a car and enough of your monthly income to live on. An Elder Lawyer can go into more detail.
Becoming Rep Payee is difficult. You cannot use POA of any kind to do it. It is a separate process in which you need two MDs to attest to the incompetence of the spouse to do any executive functioning, you need to account then for every penny into and out of SS money, so it needs to be directed preferrably to its own account. It can also be done with spouse coming in to REQUEST this be done if she is competent to do so. But it is a process, and when my brother and I went to that last step it was difficult enough we didn't do it. His SS went into his Trust account and I was Trustee, so we didn't need to, but were that to change it would have been a rigamarole. But I sure agree these two need now to see an elder law attorney to discuss assets, management of assets, division of assets, wills, POAs and everything else.
If you are not her PoA, then (if she's able) she needs to assign you her PoA (or someone else, younger, local, trustworthy, willing). You then take the PoA paperwork to the bank and get yourself on her account.
The facility care will need to be paid by "someone". If you never become her PoA then the next option is guardianship, which takes time and costs money but then you will legally have full access and management capabilities.
The bar for legal "capacity" to assign a PoA is pretty low: one can have some memory impairment and some cognitive impairment -- and this is assessed by the attorney at the appointment: they will take her aside and privately interview to make the assessment and to ensure she isn't being coerced.
If you are not her PoA and you do nothing until she needs facility care... she won't be able to get it if she can't access her funds to pay for it and you aren't willing/able to pay for it, either.
Please talk to a certified elder law attorney for best guidance.
Unfortunately, I think it is a problem for a lot of married couples, usually due to the history they have had as a couple. It would have involved Trust, that may or may not have been shattered. If her spouse is not her PoA, and she is not able to legally appoint one, then the hospital or facility where she is would have a legal person to advise you or refer you to one that has had a good history with patients thru the facility. If not, they can find a financial advisor as you say.
Does she have dementia? Does she still have capacity to make decisions herself? one way or another, you should get that account changed so that you are both joint owners on it, asap If not, this kind of thing becomes a real hassle the longer you leave it
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
As a married couple, you need to talk to an Elder Lawyer. Your assets can be split. Your wifes going to her care. When its almost gone, you apply for Medicaid. Once on Medicaid, you remain in the home, get a car and enough of your monthly income to live on. An Elder Lawyer can go into more detail.
But I sure agree these two need now to see an elder law attorney to discuss assets, management of assets, division of assets, wills, POAs and everything else.
The facility care will need to be paid by "someone". If you never become her PoA then the next option is guardianship, which takes time and costs money but then you will legally have full access and management capabilities.
The bar for legal "capacity" to assign a PoA is pretty low: one can have some memory impairment and some cognitive impairment -- and this is assessed by the attorney at the appointment: they will take her aside and privately interview to make the assessment and to ensure she isn't being coerced.
If you are not her PoA and you do nothing until she needs facility care... she won't be able to get it if she can't access her funds to pay for it and you aren't willing/able to pay for it, either.
Please talk to a certified elder law attorney for best guidance.
This sounds odd and complicated. I cannot quite fathom such a situation.
Good luck.
If her spouse is not her PoA, and she is not able to legally appoint one, then the hospital or facility where she is would have a legal person to advise you or refer you to one that has had a good history with patients thru the facility. If not, they can find a financial advisor as you say.
one way or another, you should get that account changed so that you are both joint owners on it, asap
If not, this kind of thing becomes a real hassle the longer you leave it