Dad has lived with me for the past 2.5 years. He is requiring more care than we can provide at this point and we are looking at nursing home placement. I would have to file for medicaid for him on his behalf. I am POA. We have some items in my home that have literally been destroyed by my dad that we would like to replace out of his money before we file for medicaid but want to make sure we are documenting it correctly to avoid a penalty when they do the look back. The items are the carpeting in his bedroom, a recliner chair, and a mattress. The carpeting he inadvertently spilled tube feeding on and it now has a large 18 inches diameter area in the very center of the floor that is hard as a rock. Have had it professionally cleaned to no avail. The carpet was new when he moved in. Due to incontinence issues and his dementia he has also managed to ruin a queen mattress and a recliner chair. So how can we get these items replaced and document it properly. You can not see the damage to the mattress and chair. It is a smell issue. And the spot on the carpet (it is a dark carpet) doesn't photograph well.
I have a neighbor who had to spend all settlements before being able to get her disabled hubby onto medicaid and they gave her great advice of how to do it. Her hubby is paralyzed from a fall.
Same with the mattress - only get what you would buy yourself, put the bill in *his* name, pay with *his* checkbook, and have it delivered to his name at your place. Put this new on in a plastic zip bag that's waterproof. These covers are at all the big box stores and are a cheap way to protect the mattress.
If the NHs in your area allow pts to bring their own bed, you can put a vinyl cover on the smelly matress and send it off with him. You would be made whole and dad would have his mattress too.
Finally, the chair. Is that your chair that you want back without the smell)? If so, I'd handle this just like the mattress - order it in his name, pay for it with his money. Keep his stinky chair in his room and move it with him to a facility. Keep the new chair somewhere else, maybe the garage or upstairs where he does not go, until he moves out.
Nursing homes have smooth floors so they don't have damages like the carpet. For problems like the chair and mattress, they know what to expect and take precautions, and they are getting rent to cover their expenses. I have a feeling you had no idea what you were getting into! Keep all receipts for valid expenses of dad that he pays for as well as those you have paid.
I have heard that many places that care for seniors/people who are on
Medicaid do not want to accept Medicaid recipients because what they
get paid is not up to what they want, or accept ... there also is a Strategy in dealing with this issue ...
Good Luck with your situation, hope it all works out for you !!!!
s/ pete = Long Time Care Giver for my wife .....
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