Conclusion: The single most common cause of death occurring within the nursing home was Alzheimer’s, with most dying appropriately on hospice care. This is markedly different from the general population, where the most common causes of death are cardiac, pulmonary, renal, malignancies, infections, and accidents.

I will tell you that the best way to avoid a nursing home is to move into a board & care or an assisted living before you get so sick that you lose all your options. It’s like this: many older adults refuse to consider assisted living until it’s too late and then end up in a nursing home, sometimes for 5 or 6 years.

Across the board, the average stay in a nursing home is 835 days, according to the National Care Planning Council. (For residents who have been discharged- which includes those who received short-term rehab care- the average stay in a nursing home is 270 days, or 8.9 months.)

Long term care isn’t meant to provide the same level of medical care as skilled nursing, but there will likely be access to medical practitioners should they be needed. Because long term care is more of a permanent residence than skilled nursing, it isn’t typically covered by insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.

Home care is more affordable that many realize, as 49% overestimated the cost by more than $6 an hour, a recent Home Instead Senior Care poll shows. On the other hand, the average yearly cost of nursing home care is $70,000—nearly 75% more than home health care.

Long-term care also includes community services such as meals, adult day care, and transportation services. These services may be provided free or for a fee. People often need long-term care when they have a serious, ongoing health condition or disability.

The Asset Protection Trust, an irrevocable trust also called a house trust can protect their home and savings from being consumed by the cost of nursing home care. It is different than a revocable living trust.

For instance, nursing homes and assisted living residences do not just “take all of your money”; people can save a large portion of their assets even after they enter a nursing home; and a person isn’t automatically ineligible for Medicaid for three years.

If you enter a care home permanently and have a personal or private pension, an occupational pension or a retirement annuity, you can choose to pass 50 per cent to your partner remaining at home. This amount must be excluded or disregarded from your local authority financial assessment.

Will my spouse in the nursing home lose their income? The short answer is yes, they will lose most of their income. When your spouse enters a nursing home that is paid for by Medicaid, he or she is only able to keep a small part of their monthly income. This is called a Personal Needs Allowance (PNA).

When your spouse goes to a nursing home, you can retain some income and assets and still qualify for Medicaid. Instead, Medicaid has a set of rules called “spousal protections” that allow the spouse of a nursing home resident to keep enough income and assets to live on.

Income Support and Pension Credit If your move into a residential care or nursing home will be permanent and you are claiming Income Support or Pension Credit as a couple, you should now claim as separate individuals.

You will still get your Basic State Pension or your New State Pension if you move to live in a care home. However, if your care home fees are paid in full or part by the local authority, NHS or out of other public funds, you may have to use your State Retirement Pension to pay a contribution to the cost of care.

When you enter a Care Home (either temporarily or permanently) you can continue to receive the following benefits:

• State Pension.
• The mobility part of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.
• Incapacity Benefit / Employment Support Allowance Contribution Based.
• Universal Credit.

The local authority must let you to keep a Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) of at least £24.90 a week. You should not be asked to put your PEA towards the cost of meeting your eligible needs if you are a permanent or temporary care home resident.

The 12-week property disregard This is called a 12-week property disregard. The 12-week property disregard is designed to give you breathing space to prepare the property for sale or decide whether you want to sell. The council will pay your care home fees for these 12 weeks, or until your property sells, if sooner.

In most cases, the person with dementia will be expected to pay towards the cost. Social services can also provide a list of care homes that should meet the needs identified during the assessment.