Exit Strategy–part 2 (Final)

One poster yesterday asked if I could provide a copy of what is required for Medicaid application.  I present this here for informational purposes only.  Please bear in mind that Medicaid is a joint state/federal program and as such, the requirements can vary slightly from state to state.  Also, since this is a government program, the requirements can change at the whim of whomever is currently holding the reins of power.  I think this is a good place to start, but it may not be current when you, the reader, starts his or her application.  You may be one of the lucky ones and not ever need Medicaid.  There are income and asset limits that apply but regardless, you most likely will, at some point, require some type of care, whether it be Medicaid or private pay, and it is best to have important documents gathered ahead of time.


I think the most important thing to bear in mind is that you need to have a plan and you need to communicate that plan to someone.  You need to have a will and an advanced medical directive, at the very least.

One thing I failed to mention last night is always carrying a list of your current medications when you travel.  If you are a full-timer, you probably already have that somewhere in your RV, but for those of us who only travel part-time, you may not have thought about this.  I have three copies of our current medications and emergency notification contacts.  One stays in our briefcase in the motorhome, one is in my purse, and one is in the glove box of the toad.  That way, wherever we are, we have our medication list and emergency notification information with us.  It may be a bit of overkill, but given what we are now involved with, I think more information is better than less.

On the thumb drive I had for my sister, I also listed current bills that need to be paid and how to handle that, e.g. how we pay the mortgage, the lawn guy, etc.  Most of our bills are paid online but if we were incapacitated and in the hospital, someone would need to keep up with those obligations.  I also gave password information to our email, Face Book and Blogger accounts so those could be checked and managed if need be.

The situation that we now find ourselves involved in, could have been made much easier through just a little advanced planning.  It was not for lack of trying on our part, but some folks find it very threatening to admit they need help.  I don’t know if it is a lack of trust or just a fierce protection of their independence.  Whatever the reason, I am certain that our relative did not foresee that she would fall at church on Easter Sunday morning and break a hip.  And now it is too late for that advanced planning which would have made everything so much easier.  Now it is a mad scramble to try and fit all the pieces of the puzzle together in a limited amount of time and, rather than the best outcome, we will probably have to settle for a less than ideal situation.

I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be prepared for our declining years.  My own parents had pre-paid funeral plans and had given us access to their financial information long before we needed it.  Although there were still difficulties when my dad passed away, it was so much easier than what we are dealing with now.  I will say again, the greatest gift you can give to your children (or others who may be helping you out someday) is to be prepared and share as much information as you can ahead of time.  They will thank you for it.

I promise, this is my last sermon on the matter.  Tomorrow we go forth to help our sons clean the house and try to make it habitable for her release on Monday.  Yesterday we were told by the Social Worker that she would be released on Wednesday, the 18th.  Today, the insurance said she had to be released on Monday, the 16th.  Go figure!!  Wish us luck!!

P.S.  Heard from the Lazy Daze factory today.  They will be shipping us a tube of the caulk that they use around the openings on the roof.  Hopefully, we can get up there and get 'er fixed without falling off!!  All the other seals looks like they did a much better job on them so don't know what happened here, but it should be an easy fix.  Hope we can get it fixed before we leave for our GTG in Oakridge next Tuesday.