The High Emotional– And Financial– Cost of Alzheimer’s Disease

happy_elderly_couple_americare.jpgAlzheimer’s is a disease that affects everybody it touches–husbands, wives, children and grandchildren–they all bear witness to their loved one’s slow demise.

Sadly, emotional stress is not the only stress that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease; those loved ones serving as caretakers may carry a huge amount of financial stress as well. The cost of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient can run anywhere from $64 a day to $77,380 a year, and because Alzheimer’s disease can be such a long-lasting disease (a person can suffer from Alzheimer’s for up to 20 years) the costs of care can end up being astronomical. It’s obvious that people can’t do it alone.

Long-term care insurance can be very helpful in paying for the costs of care necessary for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s… if your loved one has thought ahead and purchased the policy before they or their spouse began suffering from symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Some people may not have thought ahead and hope that government programs will be able to help with the high cost of care. Medicaid (or MediCal in California) can be helpful–although Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of long-term care–but only if you fall in the right category and know how to navigate the complex Medicaid system.

Unfortunately, learning how to navigate the system is not something you can do in an hour or two. Because each individual experience with Medicaid will depend on a number of unique factors we can’t give you an easy set of instructions to follow. The best advice we can give is to say that right now, the best way to navigate the Medicaid/Medi-Cal system is to find someone who knows the system to assist you. As an elder law firm we help clients with these issues on a regular basis. If you want to ensure that you and your loved ones will be cared for no matter what the future may bring, please contact our office for help.

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