officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
A lot of the knowledge I have about this issue is from my nephew & his wife who, between the 2 of them, have worked in every phase of elder health care, Independent Living facilities, Assisted Living facilities, Skilled Nursing facilities, and paid in-home elder care.
And here are some things I've learned from them (which I realize of course may only apply to this area): (1) almost no one who lives long enough dies at home (or out on a walk or on a bike enjoying nature or whatever); they almost always die at one of the above-mentioned facilities or in a hospital emergency room. (2) The facilities & in-home care vary enormously in how good they are, ranging from pretty good (that's right, only *pretty* good for even the most expensive) to horrific. (3) The prices--again, just for this area--are about $1500/month for Ind. Living; $3000-$4000/month for Assisted Liv.; from $6000-$10,000/month for Skilled Nursing facilities; and I can't remember how much for the in-home care. In this state, MedicAid only pays for Skilled Nursing *if* you even qualify for Medic-Aid. (4) A lot of the facilities and in-home care agencies who are not even the best have waiting lists. (A co-worker had to take a 2-year's leave of absence without pay from her job because being that long on a waiting list to get her mom into the only facility in this area that would take Alz. patients & because even if she could've afforded it--she couldn't--she couldn't hire in-home care because the mother was violent with everyone but the daughter.)
So if you were ever wondering why some of us elderly do not like being elderly and hate the phrases "the golden years" and "You're only as old as you feel" and are afraid of being even more elderly, this may answer your question. Especially those of us elderly who never had children; another elderly with children said to me once, "Well, having kids is no guarantee that they'll help you in your old age!" and of course she was right. But *not* having kids IS a guarantee that you'll have no family to take care of you in your old age.
And here are some things I've learned from them (which I realize of course may only apply to this area): (1) almost no one who lives long enough dies at home (or out on a walk or on a bike enjoying nature or whatever); they almost always die at one of the above-mentioned facilities or in a hospital emergency room. (2) The facilities & in-home care vary enormously in how good they are, ranging from pretty good (that's right, only *pretty* good for even the most expensive) to horrific. (3) The prices--again, just for this area--are about $1500/month for Ind. Living; $3000-$4000/month for Assisted Liv.; from $6000-$10,000/month for Skilled Nursing facilities; and I can't remember how much for the in-home care. In this state, MedicAid only pays for Skilled Nursing *if* you even qualify for Medic-Aid. (4) A lot of the facilities and in-home care agencies who are not even the best have waiting lists. (A co-worker had to take a 2-year's leave of absence without pay from her job because being that long on a waiting list to get her mom into the only facility in this area that would take Alz. patients & because even if she could've afforded it--she couldn't--she couldn't hire in-home care because the mother was violent with everyone but the daughter.)
So if you were ever wondering why some of us elderly do not like being elderly and hate the phrases "the golden years" and "You're only as old as you feel" and are afraid of being even more elderly, this may answer your question. Especially those of us elderly who never had children; another elderly with children said to me once, "Well, having kids is no guarantee that they'll help you in your old age!" and of course she was right. But *not* having kids IS a guarantee that you'll have no family to take care of you in your old age.