When Nursing Home Plans Fall Through
A career in Washington DC is exciting; you may feel that you are at the center of the universe and your children get to see firsthand what most people only get to read about in news headlines. You might decide that, even after retirement, you never want to leave D.C.; how dull must the small talk be in a place where it is considered rude to talk about politics in casual conversation? On the other hand, you might decide that you are tired of the rat race; you might long to move to somewhere quieter and less expensive than the inner suburbs of D.C. Whether you decide to age in place or move to a retiree-friendly destination, you will need a detailed plan for how you will spend your time and how you will pay for it. This includes nursing home planning; even if you take excellent care of your health, there is a good chance that you will need nursing home care at some point. Simply finding out that a nursing home exists near the place where you plan to move is not enough. You should read the nursing home’s website periodically to find out how many people it can accommodate at one time, since this number changes, and nursing home availability has become scarce as a result of the effects of the pandemic. A Washington DC estate planning lawyer can walk you through the process of nursing home planning.
Nursing Homes Are Struggling When People Need Them the Most
The NBC news website recently published a sobering report about the ongoing struggles of nursing homes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American public needs nursing homes more than ever, with its growing population of elderly people. Meanwhile, nursing homes, especially those in rural areas, are struggling to stay afloat. The nursing homes are struggling to cover their expenses now that the emergency funding they received during the pandemic has ended. While employee burnout is a long-standing problem in the elder care sector, both in nursing homes and home health services, rural areas have smaller populations of working-aged adults, making it difficult for them to find replacements for employees who resign. Some nursing homes have reduced the number of residents they can accept, and some have closed, forcing their residents to move to other facilities far from their families. The effects are especially devastating in counties that have lost their only nursing home, leaving them as veritable elder care deserts.
Nursing Home Planning in Uncertain Times
If a nursing home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., you would have plenty of other alternatives. It is a good idea to set your sights on several nursing homes where you could receive care if you needed it, and where it would be easy for your family to visit you.
Let Us Help You Today
An estate planning attorney can help you figure out your plans for long-term care, including nursing home care. Contact Tobin, O’Connor & Ewing for help.
Source:
nbcnews.com/health/aging/nursing-homes-small-towns-closing-staff-shortages-rcna66779
