Long Island elder law attorneys can provide assistance to individuals who are no longer able to live completely independently. If you have gotten older and found it more difficult to do routine tasks due to age, you may no longer be able to handle life on your own. If you get sick or hurt and cannot do basic tasks for yourself, you might also require a high level of hands-on care. 
If you need care on an ongoing basis to help with you routine activities of daily living, this kind of care is called long-term care. Many people who require long-term care will need it for life once they have begun to require it.
For example, an Alzheimer’s patient who can no longer live alone is going to need care for the rest of his life. In other circumstances, someone may require long-term care for a designated period of time, such as requiring care for a few months after a surgery.
Whether you require long-term care for a limited duration or for the rest of your life, you need to know options for different kinds of car facilities. Mark S. Eghrari & Associates PLLC can help you to understand what types of long-term care services are available and what kinds of help you could potentially qualify for. Long Island elder law attorneys can also provide assistance in making sure you can get costs covered for whatever care you require.
What are Your Options for Long-Term Care?
Options for long term care are going to vary depending upon the extent of your medical needs, your financial resources, and how long you will require care.
Nursing homes are one of the most common options for long term care. A patient could check into a nursing home on a temporary basis after a surgery. This could be necessary to monitor recovery; have a skilled nurse change bandages; and undergo physical therapy to try to get better. A senior could also move permanently into a nursing home because the senior can no longer live independently.
There are dedicated nursing homes that cater to seniors with specific types of medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s. There are also communities for the elderly where you can start with your own assisted living unit and receive minimal help and then move into a part of the facility providing more intensive care as you become less able to do things on your own.
Home healthcare aids, adult daycares, and various types of programs through the Veterans’ Administration also provide other long term care options.
How do You Pay for Long-Term Care?
When someone needs long-term care, getting the costs of care covered can be difficult. Almost every type of long-term care costs are very expensive, and in many cases are not covered by insurance. Medicare, for example, only pays for nursing home care of a limited duration under circumstances in which skilled care is required.
If you want to have the best chance of getting any long term care costs paid for, you will want to explore the possibility of qualifying for Medicaid coverage. Medicaid is one of the leading sources of payments for nursing home fees and can provide coverage for the kinds of care that virtually no other insurance pays for.
Unfortunately, many people who need long term care when they are older won’t be able to qualify for Medicaid because they have spent a lifetime acquiring assets and Medicaid is means-tested. This could create an unfortunate situation where assets must be spent down to pay for care. Only when there are almost no assets left will Medicaid finally pay for nursing home care.
This process of becoming impoverished to qualify for Medicaid to pay for long term care costs can result in the loss of your legacy. It can also be avoided by making a Medicaid plan before you need to qualify for Medicaid coverage.
Getting Help from Long Island Elder Law Attorneys
Mark S. Eghrari & Associates PLLC can provide assistance in creating a Medicaid plan so you can get different kinds of long term care covered. We can also help you to explore all of the different options for long-term care services that you might be eligible for, including care though the VA.
To find out more about how Long Island elder law attorneys can help you, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at (631) 265-0599 or contact us online to get personalized advice on Medicaid planning and choosing a long-term care solution. Call today to get started.
Mark S. Eghrari, Estate Planning Attorney
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