All too often when one spouse in a marriage needs nursing home care, the couple assumes that the only way they can pay for that care is to sell their home. That might not be the case.
Overall, Americans do a poor job of planning for their estates and making plans should they need long-term care in a nursing home. This is because so many Americans do not ever make any plans at all.
Of those that do, many choose to make their own plans and that is a mistake. Those who seek out professional planners normally have good plans.
For the many who have no plans or who have bad plans, they often receive a rude awakening when their spouse needs care in a nursing home. Many of these Americans do not think they have any other option but to sell the family home so the government will pay for the care under Medicaid.
However, that is not always the only option.
This issue was taken up recently by the Boston Globe in “Seniors have more options than selling their home.”
Before selling their homes to pay for nursing home care, seniors are advised to seek out the services of an elder law attorney. The attorney can assess the situation to determine what other options, if any, are available.
The even better option is to plan ahead.
Get a professionally crafted estate plan that includes the possibility of long-term care in a nursing home. Doing so will make it far less likely that having a spouse go into a nursing home will necessitate selling the family home.
Reference: Boston Globe (Aug. 20, 2016) “Seniors have more options than selling their home.”
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