Be Careful What You Sign in a Nursing Home -- How To Avoid Getting Sued

Be careful what you sign in a nursing home! Some friends and family member have been sued to pay bills for patients when they thought they bore no financial responsibility. In this video, attorney Eric Olsen, Executive Director of the HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm, shares important facts and informative tips you need to know before bringing a friend or family member to a senior living home so you don't end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
Time Stamps
0:00 Introduction to HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm and Attorney Eric Olsen
1:20 Are you required to take financial responsibility when you help move someone into a nursing home?
1:50 Nursing homes are not allowed to ask for a financial guarantee from you
2:49 The nursing home contract language you should look for to avoid a lawsuit
3:28 What does “responsible party” mean?
5:56 Nursing home contract language you could add to avoid financial responsibility
6:54 Do you need to have an attorney look over a nursing home contract?
8:57 Do I have to pay a nursing home bill if I have power of attorney?
9:54 You can offer to pay a family member’s or friend’s nursing home bills
10:54 What happens when a parent can no longer afford nursing home bills?
12:30 Can a senior get removed from a nursing home if they can no longer afford to pay?
14:52 What should you do if a nursing home comes after you to pay a bill?
15:19 All about filial laws
16:14 Be careful what you sign at a nursing home
17:06 How to contact HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm with questions
This video is designed to prevent people at nursing homes from getting into financial hot water. Follow Attorney Eric Olsen's advice, and don't sign any contract that you don't understand.
Jeff Hoyt is SeniorLiving.org’s Editor-in-Chief.
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To contact the HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm, call 1-855-435-7787 or visit helpsishere.org.
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[@cashonly6117]

Read, Read, Read... and if you don't understand, take the papers to someone who does. An advocate like the social security office or call medicare for assistance. We refused to sign anything with my mom's healthcare when she was going through cancer treatment with the Mayo clinic. Exactly, I would sign on behalf of the person if they couldn't but not as myself being the responsible one. My uncle was in a nursing home and was on social security, medicare, and they take an entire social security check except for maybe 50 bucks, so if the person has no family to buy them just little things that they may want or need, it truly sucks. I think he was on medicaid too because he had no assets at all.

[@natashanonnattive4818]

Well if he had medicaid they pay it all. The regular patients pay 7000 a month like under 65. It's pathetic to pay thst much. They may have good care but not one on one and on strict schedules. Some aides are the boss even over nurses. I've seen it. 2 baths a week with exception to incontinence bed baths. If they smoke there is only 6 times a day supervised. You can't go out by yourself even if total lucid. They do have people to take them shopping or buy requests weekly in some. Probably not all. Depends on how much care they need, have you tried Hospice? The drugs can hasten death. I'd never take it. I'd eat a alkaline diet not many serious illnesses can live in a Alkaline body. The cancers are acidity and die. If you eat well now without processed food, no fried, no red meat, and eat fresh organic and use olive oil, hemp oil, nut oil and organic butter, don't use rapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil, you'll live healthier. Best wishes..

[@Savannah-ed4rv]

Very helpful information! I learned so much from Eric every time I watch him.😊

[@caliadvocacyfor1735]

Awesome guest and attorney! Very helpful information.

[@Ann-oy5yb]

I have unearned income called RSDI. The person next to me in this nursing home is keeping her money. 2 patients fill up each small bedroom here. She says they take nothing from her. She is 45 and I am 69. She refused to sign their papers and she is still here. I could find no papers that said I should be letting go of my RSDI unearned income. $60 is no where near enough for a person that needs shoes and incontinent pads and wound bandages and organic foods. Therefore, I say I am being discriminated against, harshly. This nursing home is denying me incontinent pads and wound care bandages and the service of putting these bandages on my legs, plus several of the employees are outright abusive to the residents, meaning their voices are not kind and they take hours to change someone out of a diaper full of poo. Not enough people are hired, especially on weekends, so some patients have been heard to yell for hours. Without raw organic foods, metabolic acidosis will literally take over my body with acids so that my kidneys totally give out. I have asked for organic foods, but have been rejected. The video Genetic Roulette says that pesticides and GMOs are making us all sick. The last hospital I was in, diagnosed me with acute kidney injury and metabolic acidosis. My legs are the receivers of all the toxins my kidneys are not able to filter out. I have read much that says diet is the cause of acids running through the blood. This nursing home serves a huge amount of sugary desserts and juices and carbohydrates like potatoes and macaroni and meats. All of these are acidic and have been blamed for dementia and alzeimer's and all other dis-eases. Dr. Berg and Dr. Lustig speak in youtube videos about sugar being poisons. Dr. Young is one of these that says all of us should be eating alkaline foods. He has written several books and so has Dr. Lustig. I have read that we are alkaline beings. Our bodies regulate us at 7.35 pH to 7.45 pH on a regular basis. When our bodies become acidic, they look for alkaline substances like our bones and the cartilage between the bones. I didn't find this out until recently. I have no cartilage between my leg and hip bones, so I am always in a wheelchair and I sleep in a chair next to the bed because this bed is so hard and hurts me. Being severely abused as a child led me to eating too many processed foods, so I am about 100 pounds over weight. After spending many years watching videos and reading books and articles, I found out that the federal reserve is a cartel right along with the IRS. Corporations have taken over the government. The video "The Corporation" says all corporations are psychopathic. I have heard that these processed food corporations made a deal several decades ago with the government to cause the food pyramid to reflect these meats and carbohydrates as excellent nutrition. All carbohydrates turn into sugar when not exercised off the body. In a nursing home where many people are not moving, these sugars are dangerous stuff, even poisons. Sugar is being called a poison. This nursing home is literally poisoning the patients. Then there are the candy and coke machines. There are many people working here that are way too big body wise. The patients have access to these machines. Plus, there are employees that tell the patients when it is time to go outside to smoke cigarettes. NONE of this should be called nursing. This is not a nursing home. It is a for profit corporation. Is there precedence that allows me to keep my unearned income? Phyllis

[@TheEcono]

Nursing home threatened to sue me even though I signed as power of attorney. I used the credit card and paid them roughly $1,000. But now I can't pay the credit card, thank goodness for helps that I learned my income cannot be garnished 🎉😂❤

[@yeyramos1]

This is very informative. Thank you for sharing your experience

[@angelaasadi9283]

Thank you for this great information.

[@mseddie]

I'm supposed to go to a nursing home and I really want to live in my own place BY MYSELF!

[@SeniorLivingOrg]

Most seniors do. We hope it works out for you.

[@Jimfromearthoo7]

I usually record the conversation on my cellphone. I get them admit I’m not responsible.

[@SeniorLivingOrg]

Smart!

[@DLFfitness1]

Nursing homes are for people that can no longer take care of themselves. Staying healthy should be the goal if you wish to avoid a nursing home stay. So many don’t like the idea of a nursing home, but very few are interested in being a caregiver.

[@karben7296]

Just don't sign anything at a nursing home.