When many New Jersey families consider planning for the chance that loved ones might need nursing home care, the focus is on giving family members the care and respect they deserve. It is important to note, however, that taking care of nursing home planning is also a gift to the rest of the family. This is especially true for individuals who have played pivotal roles in caring for elderly loved ones.
Without adequate planning, a number of unintended consequences can occur. An example is found in the case of one family in which the elderly mother required residential care and her son is now at risk of being evicted from her home. Because the family failed to take the appropriate steps early, the woman’s home is being seized by the state to help cover the cost of her care. Her son, who has spent the past six years trying to ensure that his mother could remain living in her own home, will soon be rendered homeless.
This outcome could have been avoided if the family had taken a few steps to protect the home and other assets. This includes transferring certain assets into the son’s name long before the need arose for residential nursing home care. There are a number of other protections that could have been put into place, but there is virtually nothing that can be done to change things now.
New Jersey families must take proactive stances regarding nursing home planning. In the best case scenario, these provisions will never be needed. In the event that a loved one requires residential care, however, proper elder care planning can preserve assets for an individual’s loved ones.
Source: wcpo.com, “Mom enters nursing home, son to become homeless”, John Matarese, Oct. 27, 2015