I must confess that I am in the middle of a tenuous struggle with helping my mom care for my father who took a bad fall the other day and is now in the hospital with a fractured pelvic bone. He has Lewy Body dementia and is very difficult to deal with.
None of the nursing homes will accept him on a short term rehab via Medicare.
I am worried about my mother’s financial exposure.
Not having filed for Medicaid assistance yet, if she has to pay out of pocket I am concerned they could (Nursing facility) come after her home.
Next step should be elder care attorney to help you with applications and with separation of income in a way to protect income for your Mom's future. There are other ways to go about this, but for myself, with little expertise in medicaid application and asset protection of the spouse, I would be going the way of the most expert help I could pay for.
In my State you are only allowed 90 days from date of application to get the caseworker all paperwork needed, spend down any money and get the person placed. If not done in that period of time you have to start over.
If Dad goes into a NH, Medicaid allows for assets to be split and Mom becomes the Community Spouse and will not be made impoverished. No, Medicaid will not take the house. Its not considered a viable asset. Mom can remain in the home and have a car. But when Dad passes, Medicaid will put a lean on the house. But Mom can remain there till her passing.
Medicare pays only for rehab and that is only 100% the first 20 days. 21st to 100 days is 50%. He can be discharged anytime its felt he has gone as far as they can take him. That 100 days is not a given.
I have given u the basics. You really need to talk to someone at Medicaid. Every state has their own criteria and rules. If it gets overwhelming then consult an attorney versed in Medicaid law.