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I agree you should sign up as soon as possible for state Medicaid. Also: 1) In California (and maybe other states), there is an assisted living waiver program that makes up the difference between his income and the cheapest facilities that the state will pay for and 2) There may be low-income housing he could sign up for in the interim; there's a waitlist for those as well.

Although there are ADLs, there are also IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living). Your state Medicaid program should take both into account. Has your father been diagnosed with any cognitive or mental health issues? Those also should be taken into account.
https://betterhealthwhileaging.net/what-are-adls-and-iadls/
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My Mom’s healthcare social worker told me about a program called ALTEC...not sure of spelling. Adult Living something or other. It’s some system that helps pay for assisted living. There are care homes that are signed up for that, and some are less expensive than others or assisted livings. We are in AZ. I was confused about what the Social worker was saying about it, (as well as confused about the spelling). Perhaps you could dig around and see if it’s where you live. I’m wondering if he has a doctor or hospital in town who may have heard of this.
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disgustedtoo Jan 2021
ALTCS - Arizona Long Term Care System | ALTCS.com
www.altcs.com

You poked my curiosity as I'd not heard of this. Searching for ALTEC brought up anything but, so I added Assisted Living and came up with this.

Other than finding it, I didn't check it out. This particular "program" is for AZ. There may be similar other programs in other states. Varied searching online or query with doc or hospital might reveal more.
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Find an elder law attorney as soon as possible before making other decisions. They will be a lot more knowledgeable about the Medicaid and assisted living requirements. The rules vary from state to state. When we consulted the elder law attorney about POA for my 64 year old brother (most likely has early onset dementia), she explained that she could also help us with Medicaid for long term care and even knew of a good facility that she highly recommended. I was so grateful to hear that! They go from Assisted Living to memory care. After we get a diagnosis—hopefully next week—I will consult with her to see if we should get the application rolling. He has very few friends, lives alone in a very small town and his 22 year old daughter (works full time and goes to school) lives 45 minutes away. She’s daddy’s girl and helps when she can. Some days I think he’s okay and other days I’d like to move him tomorrow. All these decisions are especially difficult because I live 1500 miles away.
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I have no real suggestions for options, esp if he's not impaired cognitively. You could find the best place and win the lottery to pay for it, but if he refuses to move, that's it. Even with dementia, you can't force someone to move (or do anything they refuse to do.) Our mother refused to move anywhere, ESP not to any AL, although before dementia that was in HER plans!

My only concern is this:
"The house is in horrible shape, very neglected, ugly inside. Needs a huge amount of expensive work."

Ugly, no problem, just avert your eyes for now.
Neglected, if it's only cosmetic, continue averting your eyes.
Horrible shape and expensive work needed? If there are structural, safety or hazardous issues, these shouldn't wait until he moves. Not only might it impact him or you, but as time goes on, it will only get worse and cost more, in time, effort and materials.

Not knowing what "horrible shape" means, one might suspect the worst, like crumbling stairs, bad chimney, bad heating system, bad roof, etc... IF it isn't all that bad, then no worries. Any reason why some work couldn't be tackled now, while he's still living in the place? If you go there to help and clean, why not tackle some of the cosmetic work, such as painting? Patching needed? Do that on one trip, then paint on the next. If there are serious underlying issues that need fixing first, then never mind those suggestions.
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If you own the house , it might be time to start remodeling it . Would your father agree to an apartment move , while it’s being renovated? The time you buy with this , might help you figure out where to place him later . The first step is getting him out of the house .It does sound unsafe for him to live there .So sorry you are having to deal with this .
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I see a lot of suggestions here to put your father in a nursing home since Medicare might pay for that. SNF and Medicare have criteria for who is qualified to need that level of care. It is possible that your father would not be qualified so you need to explore other options.

While going thru similar situations with my parents I found that while few AL facilities (in Ohio at least) accept Medicaid waivers they will do so if the person has been a resident for at least 2 years. So if you can figure out how to finance that initial 2 years AL might still be an option. Note that AL's will have their own staff do an assessment to determine if your dad is a good fit both mentally and physically.

Mom did well in AL, terrible in SNF, but bloomed when we had her moved to another AL facility into Memory Care.
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Pasa18 Jan 2021
Good information. I wish I knew before but will pass it onto someone I recently had a discussion about the waiver. In our county, there is a waitlist.
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As a last resort can you set up a Go Fund Me page to get financial help with fixing the house and to pay for a caregiver to come in to assist with basic care? Check with the country where he lives to see what they suggest. Get a reporter to write a story about him - is he a Vet who has fallen on hard times and needs help? did he used to own a business in his community and he reached out to help others? is he a member of any organizations (church-Lions-VFW-etc)? Find something about his life that would make an interesting story and end the story with a plea for help to afford him assistance now and then and to keep his independence in his own home as long as possible. Can his friends/neighbors help get the word out that he needs assistance with ADLs? Does he qualify for Social Security Disability funds? What kinds of national rural assistance programs are available for you to check out (ElderCare 800-677-1116) or the local area agency on Aging. AARP Caregiving Resources 877-333-5885. Would Habitat for Humanity be able to help with fixing up the house? Have you called the Red Cross or United Way to see if they know how to contact volunteer caregivers in the area who could check on him daily and maybe some volunteer home remodelers who would be able to contribute work and materials to fix up the house? Call some home remodeling companies to see if they have people who would be willing to help with labor and materials in exchange for the good will and some good PR.
Good luck! This country is chock full of people who want to help so reach out and find a way to find these marvelous do-gooders. Put the word out on your Facebook page, Twitter, or whatever social media you use. God Bless!
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Is your dad a veteran? If so depending on where and when he served he may qualify for benefits from the VA. Diabetes San be considered a “service connected” disability depending on his service. If dad is a Veteran check with a local Veterans Assistance Commission office they will help to determine eligibility
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