Because DH and I do not have LTCI, I was ignoring this thread until a visit yesterday with one of my hospice patients snapped me to attention. His wife and he are both in hospice care. She fell, received some nasty bruises and the husband was persuaded to put her into a nursing home. She is much safer there. DH was doing his best, but he is on oxygen 24/7 and not so strong. They are both in their mid-80's.
They live in a double wide mobile home way out in the boonies. He sold his pick-up truck to fund three months of NH stay for his wife. (If it wasn't such a sad situation, this would be the place to insert a wise crack about Arkansas). It is $165.00 a day for a shared room and this is the one nursing home in our town i would NOT want to stay. He has enough money for one more month.
The wife's name is on the title of a house their daughter lives in. They co-signed her loan many years ago and when the DD stopped making payments, they took it and rented it to her. He is trying to get it sold. The real estate agent visited the house and told him it is a junkyard. The wife cannot receive Medicaid until the house is sold because of the equity in it.
I am rambling and probably not saying anything helpful, but this is the story of a couple that has not much at all, but just enough to cause serious problems at this stage. The state agency for elderly welfare is involved, as well as hospice social workers to help him sort all this out. Right now, a nephew drives 100 miles each day after work, to spend the night with this guy.
In one part of his mind, he knew he should have taken care of this months ago, but he is a WWII veteran (Air Force mementos cover one wall) and I get the idea he has always had bravado. Plus, he and DW absolutely did not want to leave their 5 acres of paradise on the "mountain".