With the ongoing changes to the law and shifting options and choices in the Houston area, it is a good idea to consult with an elder attorney who knows what the community has to offer. Elder and Medicaid lawyers in Houston are tasked with a lot of responsibilities, but perhaps one of the most important is working with clients who are making decisions regarding nursing homes. From cost to amenities to proximity to medical facilities, there are so many considerations that can go into choosing just the right facility for you or a loved one.
Plan Ahead When Possible
Obviously, it is not always possible to plan in advance for nursing home care. Illnesses and injuries can come from out of nowhere and sideline a previously healthy and active senior. In other cases, the individual may just not have been able to envision a time when he or she would need such care. People in these situations will also benefit from working with an elder attorney in Houston who is knowledgeable about what the city has to offer.
When possible, however, planning ahead is one of the best things you can do to ensure you receive the kind of nursing home care you truly want. For one thing, when decisions like this are put off, it often ends up falling on the senior’s children or other caregivers to make the choices. If you plan earlier, when you are healthy, you can have so much more say in how the situation plays out in the future.
Your elder attorney will obviously be a good resource in finding the best nursing homes in Houston that meet your wishes and requirements. You may also find that friends have great insight into places they have visited or where their family members have resided. Do some online research of your own, too. Many facilities will have pictures and descriptions on their web sites that will give you a preview of what they offer.
Take a Tour
You would never buy a home without seeing the inside of it or checking out the neighborhood, but it is shocking how many people choose a nursing home without ever having set foot inside. Whenever possible, your Houston Medicaid and elder attorney will encourage you to do on-site visits to get a feel of the facility. This is an opportunity to make sure that you feel comfortable, and can even give you a chance to speak with residents currently in the facility. What do they like best? What do they like least? Would they recommend this nursing home, and why or why not?
Some nursing homes specialize in different areas or offer different amenities, so taking a tour will allow you to see if their services live up to what you have seen in their brochures or on their web site. You might even want to take notes so that you can compare the different facilities that you have visited.
Choosing a nursing home is a pretty big deal. This is the place where you or your loved one will be living for an extended period of time, and you want to make sure that it offers a great balance of wants and needs. Working with a Houston elder attorney will give you an advantage when it comes to finding out what is out there in our area.
Kimberly Hegwood is the Managing Attorney of Your Legacy Legal Care, a Houston estate planning law firm. With more than 25 years of experience practicing law in Texas, she represents clients in a wide range of legal matters, including elder law, asset protection, estate planning, Medicaid crisis planning, probate, guardianship, and other estate planning practice areas.
Kimberly received her Juris Doctor from the South Texas College of Law and is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
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