Ellery Care guides
Paying for senior care in Texas, explained
Clear, sourced answers to the questions families ask in the first hard week: what care costs, who pays, and how to protect a parent's home and savings. Every figure is current for 2026 and cited.
Protecting assets
Texas Medicaid estate recovery, what heirs face
After a Medicaid recipient dies, Texas can try to recover long-term care costs from their estate. How estate recovery works, the exemptions, and what heirs face.
Sep 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Choosing care
How to read a nursing home inspection report
Nursing home inspection reports are public but confusing. How to find one, what the deficiencies and severity codes mean, and the red flags that matter most.
Sep 25, 2026 · 5 min read
Caregiver support
Respite care in Texas for family caregivers
What respite care is, the options in Texas, what it costs, and how to pay for it, so family caregivers can get a break before burnout sets in.
Sep 23, 2026 · 5 min read
Legal planning
Guardianship vs. power of attorney in Texas
The difference between guardianship and power of attorney in Texas, why setting up a POA early avoids court, and what to do when a parent can no longer decide.
Sep 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Choosing care
What the CMS 5-star nursing home rating means
What the CMS five-star nursing home rating measures, how it is calculated, why a high rating does not guarantee safety, and how to use it when choosing a home.
Sep 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Paying for care
How to pay for assisted living in Texas
What assisted living costs in Texas in 2026 and the real ways to pay for it, from private funds and long-term care insurance to VA benefits and the STAR+PLUS waiver.
Sep 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Care decisions
Signs it's time for a nursing home or memory care
How to know when a parent can no longer stay home safely, the warning signs of declining health and dementia, and what to do once you see them.
Sep 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Protecting assets
How to spend down assets for Medicaid in Texas
What a Medicaid spend down is, what you can legally spend money on to qualify in Texas in 2026, what to avoid, and how much you have to spend down to.
Sep 11, 2026 · 5 min read
Paying for care
How to apply for Texas Medicaid for long-term care
A step-by-step 2026 guide to applying for Texas Medicaid long-term care, the documents you need, the income and asset limits, where to apply, and how long it takes.
Sep 9, 2026 · 5 min read
Paying for care
Medicare vs. Medicaid for long-term care in Texas
Medicare and Medicaid do opposite jobs for long-term care. What each covers in Texas in 2026, which pays for a nursing home, and how to use both together.
Sep 7, 2026 · 5 min read
Costs of care
How much does memory care cost in Texas?
What memory care costs in Texas in 2026, why it costs more than assisted living, what drives the price, and the realistic ways families pay for it.
Sep 4, 2026 · 5 min read
Protecting assets
The Texas Lady Bird deed, explained
What a Lady Bird deed is, how it keeps a Texas home out of Medicaid estate recovery and probate, and how it differs from a life estate or transfer on death deed.
Sep 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Married couples
Spousal impoverishment protections in Texas
When one spouse needs a nursing home and the other stays home, Texas Medicaid protects the well spouse. The 2026 asset and income allowances, explained.
Aug 31, 2026 · 5 min read
Protecting assets
The Texas Miller Trust (Qualified Income Trust), explained
If a parent's income is over the Texas Medicaid limit, a Miller Trust (Qualified Income Trust) can still qualify them. How it works in 2026 and how to set one up.
Aug 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Veterans benefits
VA Aid and Attendance for Texas families
A plain-English guide to the VA Aid and Attendance pension for Texas veterans and surviving spouses, who qualifies, the 2026 monthly amounts, and how to apply.
Aug 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Protecting assets
Texas Medicaid look-back period and gifting mistakes
How the Texas Medicaid five-year look-back works, how the transfer penalty is calculated, which gifts trigger it, and the transfers that are safe.
Aug 24, 2026 · 7 min read
Choosing care
Nursing home vs assisted living vs memory care
Nursing home vs assisted living vs memory care: what each level of care is, who it fits, what it costs in Texas, and how Medicaid coverage differs.
Aug 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Paying for care
Does Medicare pay for a nursing home in Texas?
Does Medicare pay for a nursing home? Only short-term rehab, up to 100 days, not long-term care. Here is what Medicare covers, what it does not, and who pays after.
Aug 19, 2026 · 5 min read
Choosing a home
How to choose a nursing home in Texas
How to choose a nursing home in Texas: the CMS ratings, nurse staffing, fines, and antipsychotic numbers that actually predict safety, and how to read them.
Aug 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Protecting assets
Will Medicaid take my parent's house in Texas?
Will Medicaid take your parent's house in Texas? Usually not while they are alive. How estate recovery works, and how a Lady Bird deed protects the home.
Sep 24, 2026 · 5 min read
Paying for care
How to pay for a nursing home in Texas
A plain-English 2026 guide to paying for a Texas nursing home: what care costs, who actually pays, and how Medicaid and the five-year look-back work.
Sep 24, 2026 · 8 min read