Unfortunately more nursing staff won’t matter if there’s no one to pay for people to be there. Everyone can get Medicare after they turn 65, but what few people know is that Medicare only pays for Skilled Nursing (SNF), which is short-term and requires a “skilled need,” aka a doc has to certify that you need physical and occupational therapy for a period of time to get better.
As people age though, many lose the ability to care for themselves altogether, and many of those individuals may end up in Long-Term Care (LTC). Medicare does not cover this, only Medicaid does, and only people who are basically destitute are eligible for Medicaid. This means someone who is forced to go to LTC is very likely to spend every penny to their name there before becoming Medicaid eligible.
Make a long-term care plan, y’all, and talk to your parents about theirs too. I’ve seen what happens when it becomes a crisis and no plans have been made and it’s awful.
Unfortunately more nursing staff won’t matter if there’s no one to pay for people to be there. Everyone can get Medicare after they turn 65, but what few people know is that Medicare only pays for Skilled Nursing (SNF), which is short-term and requires a “skilled need,” aka a doc has to certify that you need physical and occupational therapy for a period of time to get better.
As people age though, many lose the ability to care for themselves altogether, and many of those individuals may end up in Long-Term Care (LTC). Medicare does not cover this, only Medicaid does, and only people who are basically destitute are eligible for Medicaid. This means someone who is forced to go to LTC is very likely to spend every penny to their name there before becoming Medicaid eligible.
Make a long-term care plan, y’all, and talk to your parents about theirs too. I’ve seen what happens when it becomes a crisis and no plans have been made and it’s awful.