What sevices, if any, will medicare cover for Alzheimer's, when I no longer can care for my wife?

Hi Art,

This depends on what kind of health care service you and your wife have. Does she have Medicare A/B and even D or any private pharmacy plan? Alzheimer's drugs are expensive.

The worst part is the non-medical care of the patient. Do you both have long-term care plan? If you do, you can set it up so she can go to a nursing home and get cared for. If you don't, the question is how you will have enough money for her for the rest of her life. Do you have some mutual funds and etc? The market is bad now so the values are lower these days.  You could also consider medicaid if she can be claimed very poor so she can use medicaid to be in a nursing home.

It is a personal question, so it is up to you to check out all options. The info. should all be in the Medicare website.

The other issue is the POA or guardian. You can set up to have your kids to be her guardian after you are gone, but I sure hope you will live quite a long time!

Regards,

Nina

Medicare is designed for people 65 years and older.  The primary goal of Medicare is to cover short term or acute care.  Most people use Medicare dollars for homecare, hospital or rehab only for a limited period.  Unfortunately, Medicare is not designed to pay for care over the long term.  Most people opt to apply for Medicaid, which is a benefit based on income.  It is sometimes possible to "spend-down" this income and these assets in order to qualify.  It is important to seek assistance in better understanding the guidelines for spending down in this way.  You can contact 1-800-Medicare or visit the Web sites www.medicare.gov and www.cms.hhs.gov.  Many local Area Agencies on Aging offer a benefits counseling service.  To find the Area Agency on Aging for any particular county, first contact the National Association for Area Agencies on Aging at 1-800-677-1116, or at www.eldercare.gov.