My mum has been in one since August.
She does this every so often.
This time they told my father they are keeping her (he can hardly walk so cannot take care of her, her dementia is worse)and said they would take her s.s. check and let her have 40$.
Checks came today., my dad cashed hers(she signed it).
He said he’s not giving them the check, can’t live without her check amount.
I thought to do this, the nursing home had to contact social security, and send the checks to them.
Is he doing wrong?
Strictly speaking, the nursing home can take your mom’s check as (at least partial) payment for her board and care (with proper endorsement and authorization, of course). However, they must be able to provide a detailed accounting of her account.
In theory, it doesn’t matter if he takes her check and cashes it himself, but he must still pay the nursing home whatever is owed after insurance pays their share.
IANAL and IANAD, but it sounds like you and your parents could benefit from a visit with an attorney who specializes in elder law to get your mother’s affairs sorted out in a formal manner. Nursing home care is expensive as it is, and if your dad is having to live on your mom’s Social Security checks, y’all should probably find alternative ways to pay for her care and an elder-law attorney is a good place to start.
Robin