Now clear the fuck out of your apartment by month’s end!
My mother-in-law long ago outlived her late husband’s savings. Actually, her late husband died a slow, lingering death from ALS and used up most of the savings himself in so doing. She’s been on Medicaid ever since.
3 years ago, her health forced her out of her home and into assisted living. At first, she was extremely negative, but gradually adjusted to an institutional life.
In November, my wife got a call from her Mom’s social worker saying that she was setting up a meeting among Erma’s family members, her care providers, and herself to review Erma’s recent decline in physical function. At that time ,we were given a list of Medicaid-approved nursing homes to shuffle her off to in the event that ergonomic changes–extra grab bars , lowering her bed, etc., didn’t result in fewer incidents of Erma’s needing a higher level of care than “normal”.
At our December 7, meeting, we were assured that the state would give Erma another 30 days evaluation, but the tone of the announcement was such that we
knew that we’d better get busy touring nursing homes after the Holidays.
Two days ago, my wife was informed that a re-review of Erma’s condition by the social worker’s bosses determined that Erma should be out of assisted living and into a nursing home by year’s end!
Erma will be 90 on Dec.30. She, her daughter and I were under the impression that the gut-wrenching move from a 2-room apartment to 1/2 a room in a nursing home would NOT occur during the Holidays and certainly not on the poor old lady’s 90th birthday!!
We’ve called nursing homes this week, the week before Christmas, and have found only 2 thus far where the admissions directors haven’t jetted off for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, the social worker is hiding behind voice mail.
Neither of the 2 we’ve seen so far was as dismal as we’d imagined such places would be, but the one we liked better says they have nothing available until early next month and the social worker hides out from answering our questions as to whether a little extension could be granted until something opens up there.
It has suddenly occurred to me that the State requires landlords to give total deadbeat scum 30 days before eviction.Erma is a paying customer to the extent that she can pay–the State takes all but $25 of her Social Security check each month, but she gets less than 15 days. Outrageous!
Don’t suggest involving our State senator. She’s only interested in shoving-through legislation to allow our empire-building petty-tyrant school superintendant to steal territory from neighboring school systems. In this respect, she’s as useless to anyone not associated with school administration as her predecessor was.
If you think you might outlive your savings, DO NOT RETIRE TO NEBRASKA!