A family friend recommends not applying for Medicaid until my Dad needs to go to a care home. She thinks that the benefits he would receive is not needed because he is not in a care home, and he will have to abide by financial restrictions if he qualifies. He doesn't have any assets but a car and $8,000 in a checking account. My Dad is 91 years old and blind in one eye. Otherwise he is in good health. He lives with his 78 year old" significant other" in her home, who takes good care of him, but will need hip surgery within a year. Her daughter says she can take care of Dad as well as her mother, but I think eventually he will have to move from that situation.
8K in the reality of aging is no real money. If dad does not have a prepaid funeral & burial set up, perhaps get that done now. This could be good for all as GF could get her's done too and make the afterlife easier for both her daughter & you. Average funeral & burial is 8K so you will need to either shop around to get this done for less or do a cremation (may run from $ 800 - 2K).
Also if he or she may need to apply for Medicaid, they will need to have a clear separation of income & assets. If they are doing joint bank accounts and have them at all co-mingled, that will be a sticky problem. The state tends to assume all the funds in a commingled account belong 100% to the Medicaid applicant. This is a great time of the year to do whatever to have 2015 started fresh and as simplified as possible for legal and future Medicaid application.
Good luck in all this.
I suggest that in addition to hearing from your well-meaning friend, you use a little of that money in the checking account to consult an attorney who specializes in Elder Law and is very familiar with Medicaid rules and benefits.