When money is not a concern for paying for assisted living or long-term care, there are many choices available for Twin Cities residents. Because most of the new senior housing programs do not work with Medicaid, residents will have to pay out of private funds for senior living. There are fewer choices when you have funds that will last less than a few years  and choices are very limited when there are funds of less than a year. Most communities ask that potential residents have at least two years of private-pay funds to help ensure that the resident will be able to age in place.

Assisted living options that have a contract with the county to accept what Minnesota calls Medical Assistance (Medicaid) reserve a percentage of their apartments for residents that have gone through their funds. Residents who have lived there the longest are first in line for these apartments, taking precedence over those who have come in more recently. It is wise to know how many units in the building are reserved for residents that outlive their assets. It is also beneficial to know if a person would need to downsize to a smaller unit or might need to share an apartment.

Most seniors prefer to age in their own home, and often home care is brought in to assist them. That makes a lot of sense. However, it is important to know that in depleting assets to pay for home care, you may be decreasing the options available for assisted living down the road.

If your loved one has limited funds, give me a call at 651-261-5379. I’ll direct you to the Best Choices based on your loved ones needs and preferences.