Continued care support for impaired child

[JeffreyB901948]

I am 65. Recently retired. My wife is 58 and has been a stay-at-home Mom. We are both in good health. And we are comfortably in the middle class ... barring any unexpected calamity. We have a 29 year old, mentally impaired daughter. She is capable of personal care and can get along in a house setting. Cook, clean, communicate, etc. She is a happy child. But she has difficulty with non-routine tasks, simple math, can't drive, and has no concept of money. She is not capable of living unassisted. Hopefully, my wife and I have another 20 or so years. But at some point in the future our daughter will need to transition into some kind of an assisted living facility. I would like to start planning for this transition but don't know where to start. Don't know what is available.

[CynthiaD109732]

Hello, I happened to notice your question about finding out how to get services for your adult daughter. First, make sure she gets on Medicaid if she hasn't done this because this is very important to get services for now and in the future. What state do you live in because you can get a lot of information from the ARC in your area. The ARC is a national non-profit organization that has great supports for people with special needs--children/adults. I have a 21 year old daughter and I'm a single parent so I know a lot about this topic. 🙂

[JaneCares]

Hi Jeffrey,

I think there are a few things you can begin to explore now that you have more time. I would call your local Aging & Disability Resource Center to start: https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/aging-and-disability-resource-centers. I would also ask around about a good 'eldercare' attorney, because you're going to want to know how to set up something like a trust, how to manage your funds to avoid unnecessary taxes as you put money away for her, and manage your current income for the future: yours and your wife's as well as your daughter. 

Depending on what caused her disability, I would go to the association that exists to help people with that issue. Older people with dementia have the Parkinsons Association or the Alzheimer's Association. If she has cerebral palsy, or Downs Syndrome, or something with a name, you can also look into resources provided for the patients and their families.

This is a start. She is lucky she has you two. 

Jane