What to Do When an Aging Parent Needs Care in Florida: The First 30 Days

The call often comes on an ordinary day. Your dad fell in the kitchen. Your mom's neighbor says she seems confused. A hospital social worker says your parent can't go home alone. Suddenly you're the one everyone is looking to.

Take a breath. In the first 30 days, your job is to keep your parent safe, learn what care they need, gather a few key papers, and avoid the mistakes that are hard to undo.

Start with what's urgent: is your parent safe tonight? In the hospital, you're allowed to ask questions about the discharge plan.

Next, get a care assessment. That's a professional look at what your parent can and can't do on their own. Assessors look at "activities of daily living": bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, getting in and out of a bed or chair, and moving around. They also look at memory, medications, and whether the home itself is safe.

Who does the assessment depends on where your parent is:

• In the hospital: the discharge planner or hospital social worker. Federal rules require hospitals to have a discharge planning process for patients who need one (42 C.F.R. 482.43). Ask them to put the recommended level of care in writing.
• At home: your parent's doctor, a home health agency if Medicare is covering visits, or a private geriatric care manager. A geriatric care manager is usually a nurse or social worker who coordinates care for a fee.
• For Medicaid long-term care: Florida's CARES program (Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services) does its own medical assessment before Medicaid will pay for a nursing home or for care at home through SMMC LTC.

Medicare is health insurance for people 65 and older and some younger people with disabilities. It pays for short-term, skilled care after an illness or injury. It doesn't pay for long-term help with daily living.

• Nursing home rehab: after a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row, Medicare may cover up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care in a benefit period. In 2026 your parent pays a daily coinsurance of $217 for days 21 through 100 (Medicare.gov). Time spent "under observation" doesn't count toward the three days, so ask whether your parent is formally admitted.
• Home health: Medicare can cover part-time skilled nursing or therapy at home for someone who is homebound. It doesn't pay for 24-hour care, or for help with bathing and dressing when that's the only care needed (Medicare.gov).
• If coverage is ending: a skilled nursing facility or home health agency should give a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage at least two days before services end. You can ask for a fast appeal, usually by noon the day before the end date (Medicare.gov). Read the notice the day it arrives.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that can pay for long-term care for people who meet its medical, income and asset rules. In Florida, nursing home care is covered through the Institutional Care Program (ICP). Care at home or in assisted living is covered through Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC LTC), which often has a waitlist. In 2026, the general limits are $2,982 a month in gross income, above which a Qualified Income Trust is needed, and $2,000 in countable assets for a single person, with more protection when there's a spouse at home (DCF Appendix A-9). The Medicaid planning page explains these terms.

You need to know where the important papers are and whether they still work. Look for:

• A durable power of attorney: the document that lets someone handle money and property for your parent.
• A health care surrogate designation and living will: who makes medical decisions, and what your parent wants.
• A will or trust, and any deed to the home.
• Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Medigap, and Medicaid cards.
• Any long-term care insurance policy. Check the "elimination period," the waiting time before benefits start, and whether claims must be filed by a deadline.
• Recent bank, retirement and brokerage statements, and income letters from Social Security or a pension.
• Military discharge papers (DD-214), if your parent or a late spouse served.

The article on the five documents every Florida adult should have explains what each document does.

A parent who can still understand what they're signing can usually sign new documents now. In Florida, a durable power of attorney must be signed by your parent in front of two witnesses and a notary (Fla. Stat. 709.2105). Some powers, like making gifts or changing a trust, must be specifically initialed. Don't use an online form without checking it against Florida law.

If your parent can no longer understand the documents, a family may have to ask a court to appoint a guardian. Guardianship is public, supervised and often slow.

• The Elder Helpline: 1-800-963-5337 (1-800-96-ELDER) statewide. In Palm Beach County, the Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Helpline is 1-866-684-5885. This is also where SMMC LTC screening starts.
• SHINE: free, unbiased Medicare counseling through the Elder Helpline.
• The long-term care insurer, if there's a policy, to start a claim.
• The VA, if your parent or a late spouse is a veteran. See VA Aid and Attendance.
• An elder law attorney, if care costs will drain savings, a spouse is still at home, there's no power of attorney, or someone has asked you to sign facility papers.

A hypothetical: a daughter in Atlanta learns that her mother in Boynton Beach needs help after a fall. In week one she talks with the hospital social worker. In week two she finds the power of attorney in her mother's desk. By week four she has called the Helpline and is on track for a screening.

• Don't move your parent's money into your name, or give gifts "to protect it." Florida Medicaid reviews transfers made in the 60 months before an application. A gift can cause months without coverage. Giving money to a child can also expose it to the child's creditors.
• Don't sign facility papers as the "responsible party" without reading them. See what to know before signing nursing home admission papers.
• Don't cancel a long-term care policy or life insurance before someone reviews it.
• Don't let anyone rush you, whether it's a salesperson or a relative with an urgent plan. Pressure is a warning sign.

Tick items as you go. Nothing is saved, so print the page if you want to keep it.

Week 1: safety and assessment

• Confirm your parent is safe tonight, and who is checking in each day
• Ask the doctor or discharge planner for the recommended level of care, in writing
• Ask whether a hospital stay is an inpatient admission or "observation"
• Write down every medication and every doctor

Week 2: papers

• Find the power of attorney, health care surrogate and living will
• Find the will or trust, and the deed to the home
• Collect insurance cards and any long-term care policy
• Collect the last three months of bank and income statements

Weeks 3 and 4: calls and next steps

• Call the Elder Helpline (1-800-963-5337) or the local Helpline (1-866-684-5885)
• Call the long-term care insurer, if there is a policy
• Check whether a veteran's benefit may apply
• Have the first conversation about wishes and money
• Book a consultation if savings, a spouse at home, or missing documents are a concern

Only for a short time, and only for skilled care. After a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row, Medicare may cover up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care in a benefit period. In 2026 the patient pays $217 a day for days 21 through 100 (Medicare.gov). Medicare doesn't pay for long-term custodial care, meaning help with bathing, dressing and eating. For long-term nursing home care, families usually pay privately, use long-term care insurance, or apply for Florida Medicaid.

Only with legal authority, and only in the right role. A durable power of attorney can let you sign financial papers as your parent's agent. A health care surrogate designation can let you make medical decisions. Before you sign anything, check whether you're signing as your parent's agent or personally. Signing personally as a "responsible party" or guarantor could put your own money at risk. Read admission papers closely, ask for time to review them, and see what to know before signing nursing home admission papers.

As soon as it looks like care costs may use up your parent's savings, often a year or two ahead. Florida Medicaid looks at income, countable assets and transfers made in the 60 months before applying. In 2026, the asset limit for a single person is $2,000, and gross income over $2,982 a month requires a Qualified Income Trust (DCF Appendix A-9). Learning the rules early gives your family more options and helps you avoid gifts or account changes that could delay coverage.

If your family is facing one of these questions, you can reach Brandon Arkin at Solkoff Legal, P.A. at (561) 733-4242.