Long-range planning for long-term care often includes the potential use of long-term care insurance benefits or Medicaid benefits to pay for hands-on care. Building a solid foundation of evidence can be helpful when the time comes to file those applications.

If some care is being provided by a child who lives in your home with you, consider starting to document all of the things they do for you. Time records; photos; lists of activities and functions; time spent accompanying you to medical visits or overseeing hospital care; sworn statements by third parties who have observed the care being provided.

Tell the Doctor more. Click here for an excellent publication from the National Institutes of Health all about this. At the doctor’s office, make a point of telling the doctor or nurse about the overall situation at home — the doctor may just be doing a quarterly checkup, but you can ask the doctor to document your information about requiring hands-on assistance with such “Activities of Daily Living” – the ADL’s — daily functional tasks as dressing, bathing, walking, getting in and out of bed, using the bathroom and keeping track of things. You can relay to your orthopedist not just the degree of pain you have upon certain movement, but the things that you need your aide to do for you.

Most long-term care insurance policies have an initial waiting period of several months. The policy holder is receiving the care, and then can activate the policy. With a Medicaid application, the transfer of the house to the “caregiver child” will protect the house, but concrete proof is needed about the level of caregiving that was needed. If you are diligent to build up the evidence, it can be easier to pursue these options when the time comes.

For advice about eligibility for long-term care benefits, call us at … 732-382-6070