By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Best wishes to you and your family.
There is something not right about this situation. Do they own a home?
OP - Medicaid pays for nursing homes, not assisted living. Most AL’s do not offer Medicaid waivers that allow residents to stay there when their own personal resources run out.
I too feel like they should pay off their debts. I can’t understand why they expect not to pay their credit cards either. Once an AL runs a credit report they will see your parents’ credit scores. If the AL reviews past history of non payment to creditors this will put up a red flag.
Again the AL will research the residents ability to pay their monthly cost out of pocket unless I am missing something. Assisted Living is not cheap nor covered by government funds unless it’s a Medicaid waiver which barely exists anymore.
You should be able to find a standard letter online that you can use to contact each creditor telling them to stop all contact either by mail or telephone. But has to be signed by the parents or whoever is a power of attorney. (Google something like “do not contact letter for creditors”. ) This is a federal consumer protection law.
One can argue the ethics of not paying a debt but it is what it is.
My two cents.
Yes, it sucks to be old with no money. Shouldn’t they pay the debt, sell their excess possessions, then apply for Medicaid when they have reached the minimum? I should point out that Medicaid is funded with our taxes so once again the public is paying for the debt.
I will also state that I have experience with Medicaid through applying for my father who had nothing saved for old age. And now am facing doing the same for my mother if she outlives the little savings we have from selling her house.
And please know that AL is not required to accept Medicaid, only SNC facilities are. All of the places I looked into for Mom in Ohio required a 2-year stay before they will consider a Medicaid waiver.
Given that they owe money AND given what I posted in reply to others about skip tracing, you might want to have at least one consult with EC atty. Just ignoring the debt won't make it disappear! Best case, they harass your parents by phone. Worst case, they AND you get harassed (and possibly other family members.) Even if the credit card company decides to give up, many will sell old debt for pennies on the dollar to collections - THEN the REAL fun begins!
Does the AL they are in except Medicaid? If so, you are very lucky. In my state Medicaid only pays for an AL if you have at least paid privately for 2 yrs. Then being able to stay depends on if the AL has not met the % allowed of Medicaid residents. Also, you don't apply until 90days before money runs out. Thats all the time Medicaid gives to get them paperwork needed, spend down and finding a facility.
You don't want to have that happen because it will mess up their Medicaid.
I of course am assuming there is some level of decreased competency here and a good POA in place for your husband. If not, then all bets are off, as it is up to them what they do about all of this. That takes it off your plate completely (for now).
You can't really file for bankruptcy when you have money and assets. So if they have funds for ALF the creditors would not want to see it going THERE instead of to pay the debts they incurred. So takes one option off the plate.
I guess you can just do as suggested but I may want to consult with a lawyer. I would suggest that you do not forward their mail to new home. I did this with my Mom. Had all her bills sent to my house thinking that this would help stop the junk mail, it didn't. It started to be sent to my address. I asked the PO how did they know when I sent nothing to them about the change. The PO denied it was them but I think it was. With automation I don't think the machinery or the humans think about its good or bad mail when they put that yellow change of address sticker on the mail. They tried to blame the utilities but they claim they don't sell addresses.
So my suggestion is to get a PO box. This way they can't find your parents. Believe me they will eventually. Just had a post where a member's Father was estranged from his brother (something like that) and had a call or letter from a collection co. for a 4 yr old debt from a hospital who probably had sold the debt to the collection agency. How did they track down the Father down through the internet. There are sites that show who u maybe related to.