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What's Your Question About Nursing Homes?
By Sherry Culp - March, 2010
Question
My brother is currently living in a nursing home and he really wants to move out. Can he move out?
Answer
Yes, your brother has the right to leave. He is not a prisoner of the nursing home. As long as he has not been declared incompetent by a court of law, he can make the decision to move out and return to his home or find a new home.
Question
My brother sold his house to help pay the nursing home bill. When that money ran out he applied for and was granted Medicaid. The only income he has is his Social Security check. He has about $1,800 in a savings account. He can’t take care of himself. He doesn’t have enough money to pay rent and hire caregivers. My wife and I are not able to move him in with us and take care of him. What are his options?
Answer
Your brother might be eligible for Kentucky Transitions. Kentucky Transitions is a program developed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services with funding from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Kentucky Transitions provides transition assistance and support to residents who want to move out of nursing homes and back to the community.
Question
This sounds great! How do I find out if he is eligible?
Answer
If your brother has lived in the nursing home for at least six consecutive months, has been using Medicaid for at least one month, and he has the ability to live in the community with support and services, he may qualify. Call Kentucky Transitions toll free at 1-877-564-0330.
Question
He needs care. How will he get it?
Answer
Once a referral has been made to Kentucky Transitions, a transition team consisting of a registered nurse and a social worker will visit your brother and explain the program to him and any family member he would like to be with him during the visit. Once your brother decides that he would like to pursue the program, an assessment is completed. The assessment helps the Kentucky Transitions team determine what services and supports your brother needs to live successfully outside of the nursing home. If your brother no longer has a house, apartment, or home to return to, Kentucky Transitions will help him find affordable, accessible housing. Along with the Kentucky Transition team, your brother will develop a plan and identify services for meeting his needs while he is living in the community.
Question
Can he hire his own help?
Answer
Yes. Kentucky Transitions has the Consumer Directed Option which allows Medicaid members to direct their own care and hire who they want to provide non-medical services.
Question
How is the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency funded? If I contact you for help, do I have to pay a fee?
Answer
Our services are free. We are a non-profit agency. Our program is funded by individual donations (including memorials, honorary gifts, planned giving, bequests), foundations, city government and fiscal court grants, United Way Agencies, State and Federal funding through the Older Americans Act, contracts, and fund-raising events.
This column is presented as a public service of the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass. If you have a question, send it to:
Sherry Culp
Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency
1530 Nicholasville Rd.
Lexington, KY, 40503