Common Living Options as You Age

Aging in Place
Many Floridians want to stay in their homes as long as possible. That often requires home modifications, paid caregivers, and a plan for increasing care needs. Staying home preserves independence, but it only works with advance planning for safety, supervision, and cost. Some veterans can get assistance with home modifications.

Independent Living
Independent living communities offer private apartments for active seniors who do not need daily assistance. These communities reduce isolation and eliminate maintenance while preserving independence.

Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs)
Florida has a large number of licensed assisted living facilities. ALFs provide help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and medication management, while residents maintain a private living space.

Memory Care
Memory care units serve individuals with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. In Florida, these are typically secured units with specially trained staff and structured routines designed to reduce risk and confusion.

Skilled Nursing Facilities (Nursing Homes)
Nursing homes provide 24-hour medical care and supervision. Some stays are short-term following hospitalization. Others are long-term and extremely expensive.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs)
CCRCs offer multiple levels of care on one campus. Residents move from independent living to assisted living or nursing care as needed. These communities often require large entrance fees and long contracts that should be reviewed carefully under Florida law.

Florida Medicaid Rules You Cannot Ignore

Housing decisions can directly affect Medicaid eligibility.
Most families do not realize this until they are already in crisis.

Long-Term Care Costs in Florida

Nursing home care in Florida often exceeds $9,000 per month. Without planning, lifetime savings can disappear quickly.

Florida Medicaid can help pay for long-term care, but eligibility rules are strict.

Asset Limits

To qualify for Florida Medicaid long-term care benefits:

• A single applicant may generally keep no more than $2,000 in countable assets.

• A married applicant may trigger spousal protection rules, but planning is still required.

Not all assets are counted, but many families make mistakes that cause unnecessary disqualification.

Well-intentioned gifts can cause a delay in VA benefits and complicated future Medicaid eligibility. Planning must account for both systems at the same time.

US Veterans and Surviving Spouses: An Important Planning Opportunity

Some Veterans and surviving spouses may qualify for VA Aid & Attendance benefits that help pay for in-home care, assisted living, or memory care.

These benefits can provide meaningful monthly support, but eligibility depends on:

• Military service and discharge status

• Medical need for assistance with daily activities

• Income and asset rules that interact with Medicaid planning

VA benefits are not automatic, and applying without proper planning can unintentionally affect future Medicaid eligibility.

If you or your loved one served, it is worth reviewing whether Veterans benefits can be coordinated with a Florida long-term care and Medicaid plan—before a crisis limits your options.

The Florida Homestead and Medicaid

Florida’s homestead laws offer strong protections, but they are often misunderstood.

While You Are Alive

In many cases, Florida Medicaid allows an applicant to keep their primary residence while receiving benefits, as long as certain conditions are met.

After Death: Estate Recovery

Florida Medicaid has the right to seek reimbursement from a recipient’s estate after death. This may include placing a claim against the home.

Whether the home is protected depends on:

• How it is titled

• Whether planning was done in advance

• Who survives the Medicaid recipient

Decisions about selling, transferring, or retaining the home must be made carefully and before applying for Medicaid.

Legal Documents You Need Before Capacity Is Lost

The most important planning step is establishing legal authority early.

Once a person loses mental capacity, they cannot sign legal documents. At that point, families often must seek guardianship in Florida probate court. Guardianship is public, expensive, time-consuming, and strips away personal autonomy.  

At a minimum, every Florida adult should have:

• A Florida-compliant durable power of attorney

• A designation of healthcare surrogate

• A living will

A Pre-Need Guardianship, through a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a well maintained financial trust make a great difference.  Florida law is strict about how these documents must be signed and what powers must be expressly granted.

Other Florida Financial Considerations

VA Aid & Attendance
Eligible veterans and surviving spouses may qualify for monthly benefits that help pay for assisted living or home care. These benefits interact with Medicaid rules and must be coordinated carefully.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Many policies contain narrow eligibility definitions. Families often face disputes over whether benefits have triggered. Understanding policy language matters.

Protecting Against Exploitation in Florida

Senior living contracts can involve large entrance fees, limited refund rights, and complex discharge provisions. Many contracts favor the facility and limit resident protections under Florida law.

Financial exploitation is also common and can occur at home, in facilities, or within families.

Planning tools such as properly drafted powers of attorney, trusts, and oversight mechanisms help reduce risk and protect dignity.

Plan Before a Crisis Forces the Decision

Most families wait until there is a fall, stroke, or dementia diagnosis.
By then, choices are rushed and options are limited.

Where you live is not just a housing decision.
In Florida, it affects Medicaid eligibility, asset protection, family control, and legacy.

Families who plan early preserve more assets, retain more control, and experience far less stress.

Start the conversation now.
Understand your options.
Put the right legal documents in place before a crisis takes away your choices.

What to Do Now

As a trusted advisor to you and your loved ones, my objective is not just to help you choose between a will and a trust. I’m here to  help you create a comprehensive estate plan, called a Life & Legacy Plan, that protects the people you love, keeps them out of court and conflict, and ensures your wishes are honored. I also have systems to review your plan over time, ensuring your plan will work when the people you loved need it, and that our firm will be there for them, when you can’t be.

If this all sounds expensive, I can assure you that it’s a lot less costly than the loss of your assets to avoidable court costs, conflict, or your loved ones simply not knowing what to do or what you have. Let’s start with a 15-minute discovery call during which we can guide you to your next best steps in identifying the most affordable and effective plan for yourself and the people you love. 

Click here to book your discovery call and get started: