Dear Savvy Senior,
What are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage for nursing home care?
Caregiving Daughter

Dear Caregiving,
The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care are complicated and will vary according to the state where your parent lives. With that said, here’s a general, simplified rundown of what it takes to qualify.
Medicaid Eligibility
Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor, is also the largest single payer of America’s nursing home bills for seniors who don’t have the resources to pay for their own care.
Most people who enter nursing homes don’t qualify for Medicaid at first, but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid.
To qualify for Medicaid, your parent’s income and assets will need to be under a certain level that’s determined by their state. Most states require that a person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets that includes cash, savings, investments or other financial resources that can be turned into cash.
Assets that aren’t counted for eligibility include their home if it’s valued under $560,000 (this limit is higher – up to $840,000 – in some states), their personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans and a small amount of life insurance.
But be aware that while your parent’s home is not considered a countable asset to determine their eligibility, if he or she can’t return home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of their house to help reimburse their nursing home costs, unless a spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (There are some other exceptions to this rule.)
After qualifying, all sources of your parent’s income such as Social Security and pension checks must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for their care, except for a small personal needs allowance – usually between $30 and $90.
You also need to be aware that your parent can’t give away their assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid officials will look at their financial records going back five years to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they find one, their Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing home care in their state.
So if, for example, your parent lives in a state where the average monthly nursing home cost is $5,000 and they gave away cash or other assets worth $50,000, they would be ineligible for benefits for 10 months ($50,000 divided by $5,000 = 10).
Spousal Protection
Medicaid also has special rules for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the healthy spouse can keep one half of the couple’s assets up to $120,900 (this amount varies by state), the family home, all the furniture and household goods and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the couple’s monthly income – between $2,030 and $3,022. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing home recipient’s care.
What about Medicare?
Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of rehabilitative nursing home care, which must occur after a hospital stay.
Find Help
For more detailed information, contact your state Medicaid office (see Medicaid.gov for contact information). You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see ShiptaCenter.org), which provides free counseling on all Medicare and Medicaid issues.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The Board of Health (Board) met at 7 p.m. today in emergency session and accepted the resignation of the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) Commissioner, Terry Cline, Ph.D., effective immediately. Dr. Cline has served as the OSDH Commissioner since June 2009. The Board appointed Director and Secretary of Finance, Preston Doerflinger, as Interim OSDH Commissioner. Director Doerflinger will assume his new responsibilities on October 31, 2017.
The resignation of Commissioner Cline came on the heels of information received by the Board that OSDH is faced with an immediate financial loss predicated upon multiple years of over-expenditures and fiscal mismanagement. In addition to Commissioner Cline, the Board acknowledges the resignation of Julie Cox-Kain, OSDH Senior Deputy Commissioner, effective immediately.
“The Board takes these matters very seriously and is prepared to take all steps necessary to ensure that OSDH continues its important work in the area of public health” said Board President Martha Burger.” Burger wants to assure the employees that the Board is committed to the critical work they perform for the citizens of Oklahoma.
OSDH is taking steps to address the problems head on and put OSDH back on sound financial footing. In addition to steps previously taken to address the shortfall, OSDH signed an engagement letter today for a special audit by the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector’s office to address the issues that have led to the current financial situation.

story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

A few years back, Kim Peterson faced the classic mid-life crisis.
Bad marriage, bad health, altogether bad outlook on life.
So she truly had reached a crossroads.
Option one was to continue down the path she knew for what she already had.
Option two was make some radical changes and roll the dice and see what happens down the road.
Peterson quite literally sprinted down that road and hasn’t looked back, finishing the Boston Marathon earlier this year and securing a new lease on life.
“(Running) has improved my health, my mood and every part of my life,” Peterson said. “I have more patience, more tolerance. I feel better and when you feel better you interact with others better. You see the world more optimistically. I can turn any negative into a positive.”
That’s a plus for anyone but particular someone in her line of work.
Peterson is a licensed alcohol drug counselor with a mental health endorsement who has worked for AllianceHealth Midwest more than five years.
She’s the longest-tenured mental health counselor in the building.
Searching and hoping for change she began running.
She started with 5k runs for the first couple years.
Her sister, who worked for 7-11, called to ask if she wanted to run in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
The options were 5K, 10K and half marathon.
“Being a smart aleck I said ‘I’ll do the half marathon if you will,’” she said. “She signed us up so I had to start training.”
Peterson had no idea how to train for a distance of 13.1 kilometers, which translates to slightly more than eight miles.
She just ran it. And she’ll be the first to tell you she botched it.
“I hit the wall,” she said. “I didn’t get anything to eat or drink and that is an amazing experience. I think it might be worse than a heart attack. I finished and I remember laying on the asphalt … I was crying and I thought I was going to die.”
She had depleted pretty much every electrolyte in her body.
And she almost depleted her will to ever run again.
It took her a couple months for her mistake to really set in.
She thought maybe she could prepare differently.
So she decided to try another run.
“Then I got addicted to them,” said Peterson, who was an All-State runner at Western Heights growing up. “I started getting pretty decent then I ran a full marathon.”
Coalgate was the site of her first marathon.
The mud-covered course was laid out over a mustang ranch.
She’ll never forget the herds of wild mustangs that ran beside her. For nearly two hours she was as free as they were.
She’s been hooked on the adrenaline ever since.
Earlier this year she tackled the vaunted Boston Marathon.
The trip resulted in a personal record time.
“Probably one of the things that stood out to me was the amount of Olympians that were there … it was just amazing,” she said.
Running hasn’t been the only change she made.
She decided to enter a bikini contest.
“I just get craziness in my head,” Peterson laughed. “I want to practice what I preach to patients. I always tell them not to limit themselves. If you want to set your mind to do something do it. Every day things happen that I don’t believe. I never would have believed I could have run a half marathon.
“You couldn’t have told me I would put on a bikini and get on a stage and I got a fourth-place trophy.”
Now Peterson is a fit, fabulous and fetching woman in charge of her life who inspires others every single day.
She’s become the official health mascot among hospital employees. Everyone wants to know what she’s eating for lunch that day or what she’s going to do after work.
It’s no strange occurrence for Peterson to get up and run eight miles. She averages 30 miles a week. Her next goal is to run first place in her age-group at next April’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
“Anybody in the hospital who wants to get on a health kick, whoever wants to do it I’m more than willing to help them,” said Peterson, who is also a certified equine therapist.
And Peterson is living proof that sometimes a crossroads in life can be the opportunity for something amazing.

By John D. Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner
Currently, more than 678,000 Oklahomans are enrolled in Medicare. Are all of those beneficiaries getting the proper coverage at the most affordable price based on their respective budgets? Unfortunately, the answer is likely no but there is a solution available during the Medicare Open Enrollment period.
The Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. During this time, beneficiaries can review their current medical and prescription drug coverage, as well as explore new options available to them that could provide better coverage at a reduced cost.
Did you know that last year there were 20 different prescription drug plans available to Medicare beneficiaries ranging in price from $17 to $166 a month? Most people would likely pick the cheaper option to save money. However, sometimes the cheaper option isn’t always the best option. For example, what if a beneficiary were to enroll in the cheaper plan option only to find out that a particular medication he or she was prescribed isn’t covered under the cheaper plan? In that scenario, it would mean that the cheaper plan wouldn’t cover any of the costs for that drug, which would result in the beneficiary having to pay the full price for that medication. Ultimately, the beneficiary in that situation could actually wind up spending twice as much or more for his or her drug costs that year.
Here are some other considerations for Medicare beneficiaries to think about each year:
* Did your physician prescribe a new medication for you in the last year?
* If so, will your current prescription drug plan cover that new medication or is there another drug plan available that will cover it and could help save you money?
* Have you noticed that the monthly premium or co-pay amount for your current drug plan, which does cover all of your prescribed medications, has increased significantly?
With so many different Medicare plans available, each with different monthly costs, co-pays and drug lists, how do you make the best decision for yourself?
That’s where the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) at the Oklahoma Insurance Department comes in. MAP is a grant-funded program that offers free, unbiased counseling to Medicare beneficiaries concerning their different options for Medicare coverage. MAP counselors are available to meet with seniors in-person or on the phone to answer questions about original Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare prescription drug plans. Within that, MAP counselors can help Oklahoma seniors evaluate their current coverage and explore the options available to them for the coming year.
Last year, MAP counselors helped Oklahoma seniors save, on average, an estimated $2,100 per person. In addition, MAP can help Oklahoma seniors living on fixed incomes in applying for financial assistance to cover their medical and/or prescription drug costs.
There are trained counselors across Oklahoma available to assist and provide a more personal approach to Medicare coverage counseling. Please call 800-763-2828 to find a counselor near you.

By: Jessie Motsinger, Iris Memory Care

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to pause in gratitude for our seniors and express how much we value their place in our lives. For seniors, especially those individuals coping with Alzheimer’s and dementia, feeling important to the people they love can be vital for health and quality of life. Every moment matters, and the little things can make all the difference. Here are a few ways you can be proactive about showing your loved ones that you see and care about them! (These can be modified depending on your loved one’s mobility and interests.)

Take them out to lunch, or cook their favorite meal. Sharing favorite foods and treats can spark memories, creating opportunities for chats about treasured moments.

Make a scrapbook with them (or for them), and include letters, photos and other special mementos. This is a wonderful opportunity to research and learn more about your loved one, their friends and family, and their work, hobbies, and accomplishments.

Ask them to tell you a story (and be a patient listener!). One of the best ways to learn about our history is to listen to someone who has lived it. Having a loved one be genuinely interested in you feels so meaningful!

Go on a field trip – visit places that are familiar and have fond memories (childhood home, ice cream shop, an outdoor park, or a favorite store). Familiar sights, sounds, and smells often trigger cherished memories and help even the quietest individual share!

Take a family photo, frame it, and have family members sign the frame. Dusting off those old family memories sitting in a box or photo album shows your loved one that the moment in the photo has meaning to you.

Get crafty and make homemade decorations for their room. Putting forth time and effort on a loved one’s behalf to make their surroundings cheerier has the two-fold benefit of making them feel valued while also bringing a little life to their space!

Encourage them to participate in classes or activities at a local senior center or senior living community (and then join them). Staying active and engaged has been shown to increase longevity and quality of life. Let your loved one know about different activities in the community and offer to give them a ride or help arrange transportation. Show interest in what they are up to!

How can you tailor these ideas to meet your loved one’s specific health needs? For an expert opinion, please contact a personalized consultant from Iris Memory Care at (405)-330-2222.
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7 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Loved One
By: Jessie Motsinger, Iris Memory Care

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to pause in gratitude for our seniors and express how much we value their place in our lives. For seniors, especially those individuals coping with Alzheimer’s and dementia, feeling important to the people they love can be vital for health and quality of life. Every moment matters, and the little things can make all the difference. Here are a few ways you can be proactive about showing your loved ones that you see and care about them! (These can be modified depending on your loved one’s mobility and interests.)

Take them out to lunch, or cook their favorite meal. Sharing favorite foods and treats can spark memories, creating opportunities for chats about treasured moments.

The residents at Iris Memory Care love when our home is filled with the smell of fresh cookies or warm bread.

Make a scrapbook with them (or for them), and include letters, photos and other special mementos. This is a wonderful opportunity to research and learn more about your loved one, their friends and family, and their work, hobbies, and accomplishments.

Philip’s favorite part of scrapbooking is preparing the pages for the pictures.

Ask them to tell you a story (and be a patient listener!). One of the best ways to learn about our history is to listen to someone who has lived it. Having a loved one be genuinely interested in you feels so meaningful!

Thanking Harry for his decades of military service. He has some stories!

Go on a field trip – visit places that are familiar and have fond memories (childhood home, ice cream shop, an outdoor park, or a favorite store). Familiar sights, sounds, and smells often trigger cherished memories and help even the quietest individual share!

Philip, an avid reader, loved visiting the library with Sylvia.

Take a family photo, frame it, and have family members sign the frame. Dusting off those old family memories sitting in a box or photo album shows your loved one that the moment in the photo has meaning to you.

At Iris Memory Care, our families make sure their loved ones’ memory boxes by their door are filled with pictures and mementos with wonderful memories.

Get crafty and make homemade decorations for their room. Putting forth time and effort on a loved one’s behalf to make their surroundings cheerier has the two-fold benefit of making them feel valued while also bringing a little life to their space!

Diane painting clay ornaments to decorate her room for fall.

Encourage them to participate in classes or activities at a local senior center or senior living community (and then join them). Staying active and engaged has been shown to increase longevity and quality of life. Let your loved one know about different activities in the community and offer to give them a ride or help arrange transportation. Show interest in what they are up to!

Doris enjoying the sunshine while she draws.

How can you tailor these ideas to meet your loved one’s specific health needs? For an expert opinion, please contact a personalized consultant from Iris Memory Care at (405)-330-2222.
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Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com
As seniors we have grown up and through the space race with its many accomplishments, many made by Oklahoma Astronauts. Once such celebrated Oklahoma astronaut is Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford. The Stafford Air Space Museum is a destination not to be missed if in or near Weatherford, Oklahoma. It is next to Interstate 40, at 3000 Logan Road.
You are greeted even before entering the museum with the Pathway of Honor exhibit. Here you can buy a customized brick around the foundation of the Apollo boilerplate exhibit in front of the museum. A 4 x 8 inch brick with two lines of text is $70, or the larger 12 x 12 inch brick with the option of a Company Logo with text, for $225.00. Your named brick will be in the company of astronaut legends of Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell among others. For further information and to contact the Pathway of Honor and museum call 580-772-5871.
The museum was named a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2011 as it houses over an acre of exhibits representing the evolution of aviation and space flight. They have worked closely with the Smithsonian Institution, NASA and the U.S. Air Force Museum assembling one of the best collection of aerospace artifacts in the central United States.
While there are some artifacts that are samples or replicas, many are the actual item used in space. This includes Stafford’s 1969 flown Apollo 10 pressure suit, space shuttle main engine, the mission control console, a disarmed Mark 6 nuclear warhead and an F-86 “Sabre” Fighter. Besides American artifacts are Soviet examples like the Soviet Mig-21 “fishbed” fighter, one of the most produced jet fighter aircraft in history as the front-line fighter during the Cold War. There is also the actual V-2 Rocket Engine, as the only remaining actual V-2 rocket engine left in existence which was developed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Replicas are also on display including: the Bell X-1 rocket plane that punched through the sound barrier in 1947, Hubble space telescope in 1/15 scale, and the full scale replica of the Gemini Spacecraft flown by Stafford in the Gemini 6 and 9 missions.
Stafford was born in 1930 and raised in Weatherford, graduating from Weatherford High then on to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1951. In 1962 he was selected in the second group of NASA astronauts and would go on to fly four space missions. In 1979 after retiring from the Air Force, he has flown nearly 130 types of aircraft and helicopters and logged near 508 hours in space. Today Stafford maintains a home in Oklahoma City and one in Florida near the Kennedy Space Center.
When in Weatherford a lunch or dinner at Benchwarmer Brown’s Sports Grill, at 108 East Main, is a delicious choice. A sports type bar/restaurant with video screens, offers several menu items, including a juicy Chicken strip entre. Other offering are fresh burgers, hand breaded onion rings, other sandwiches, and brick oven pizza. At just over a year old, Benchwarmer fills a dining option welcomed in Weatherford.
If your road trip is not rushed an overnight at the clean and comfortable Days Inn might be your economic destination. Complete with a warm do it your self-breakfast area, pool and plenty of parking, it fills the needs of the average traveler. It is an easy off and on from the Interstate and less than a mile to downtown, at 1019 East Main.
Why spend time and a money consuming trip to the Washington DC’s Space Museum – although it is amazing – when you can conveniently get an in-depth sample at the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma? More information at www.staffordmuseum.org

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
www.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com