No Nursing Home for Me!: A Guide for At-Home Care and End-of-Life Options

By Keith Murphy

The national average cost for one month of care in a nursing home is now in excess of ten thousand dollars; almost no one can afford to pay that much money each month for very long. Furthermore, it just does not seem to be fair that a person who has worked and saved his money should be required to spend his lifetime savings to pay for long term care, whereas a spendthrift who has not worked or saved, gets the same care, no questions asked.As an Elder Law attorney, I focus on legal techniques whereby a person, or his family, can keep significant portions of the family's wealth, and at the same time, qualify for Medicaid benefits. I like to think of it as "having one's cake and eating it, too," although that is somewhat of an exaggeration.Over time, I have come to realize that planning to live and die in a public, crowded, smelly nursing home should be a plan of last resort. No one wants to exit this world in that manner, no matter who is footing the bill. Instead of planning to qualify for a free nursing home bed, perhaps the time could be better spent planning to stay out of a nursing home, i.e., stay at home, enjoying a better quality of life for as long as possible.This guide is intended to educate the reader as to the realities of long-term care facing Americans in the coming years, and to motivate persons towards making an "old age plan." Whether you are rich, middle class, or financially-embarrassed, there are things you can do, if you don't wait too late, that will almost certainly keep you out of a nursing home.In chapter six, care insurance, both long-term policies and so-called "stay out of nursing home" policies are sliced and diced into bits and pieces which hopefully will assist the reader who is interested in buying insurance protection. Care insurance is the way of the future, but please, before you sit down with an insurance agent, read chapter six.The second section of this guide explores the changes in attitude of Americans and people around the world with regard to a person's options at the end of his life. Nine states in the United States and many foreign countries have approved procedures whereby a person can get medical assistance in dying. The new thinking is not in terms of assisting in a person's suicide, but rather, preventing unnecessary, prolonged suffering at the point of death. Should a person have the option to take a lethal dose when all joy in life is gone, and death is only an unbearable, short distance away? Can he engage medical science and medical professionals to assist in the effort? What safeguards should be in place, and what are the emerging trends?There's an old saying, that people spend more time these days planning a wedding, than planning a marriage. The same might be said about planning a funeral, rather than planning for old age and dying. This guide is a step, but a big step, in the right direction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B093RP1YYB
• ISBN13: 9798744571788
• Release Date: April 2021
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 99 Pages
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.2" x 5.5"