Questions & Answers

Currently, my father is living at home and cared for by myself and my mother. But my mother is panic stricken about the what ifs of nursing home care and the community spouse. My parents still owe $94,000 on their home. Both are retired teachers. My mother is afraid that if my father ends up in a nursing home she won't be left with enough to keep the house and enough to live on. She also refuses to contact an elder law attorney because she's afraid it will cost too much. We live in Indiana. Oh, I am also on SSDI myself so I think there is some recourse there too but I neither understand enough to direct her nor can I afford legal assistance.

The short answer is that there are a lot of protections both for spouses of nursing home residents and for disabled children of applicants for Medicaid. But it may take some moving of money and ownership around when and if your father needs a nursing home care. I understand your mother's reluctance to spend hard-earned and hard-saved dollars on legal fees. But if the elder law attorney can save your mother even one month of paying out of pocket for your father's care or one sleepless night (or both), that will be money well spent. I strongly urge you and your mother to consult with an Indiana elder law attorney. Good luck.