First steps
The First 72 Hours
What to do when a parent suddenly needs care. A calm, ordered plan for the first three days.
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A hospital stay or a fall can turn into a permanent-care decision in a matter of days. The pressure to decide fast is real, and it is exactly when families make expensive mistakes. Here is the order to work in, so you make the big choices with information instead of panic.
Do not sign anything under pressure
Discharge planners and facilities may push for a quick decision. You are allowed to take time. Ask for every option and every cost in writing before you commit to anything.
Find the hospital social worker or case manager
Every hospital has one, and their job is to help with discharge. Ask them to walk you through the choices, home health, short-term rehab, and skilled nursing, and what insurance will and will not cover.
Understand what Medicare actually pays
After a qualifying hospital stay, Medicare covers up to 100 days of skilled rehabilitation with cost-sharing, and then it stops. It does not pay for long-term custodial care. Plan now for what happens after those days run out.
Get your numbers
Add up your parent's monthly income and their savings. Our free calculator estimates how many months of care they can afford before Medicaid needs to take over. This one number shapes every decision that follows.
Do not move money or give anything away yet
Transferring the house or gifting savings feels protective, but it can trigger Medicaid's five-year look-back and create months of ineligibility. Talk to a Texas elder law attorney before you move a dollar.
Compare facilities on quality, not the sales pitch
Look up every option on Ellery Care for its inspection record, nurse staffing, fines, and safety flags before you tour. Walk in already knowing the numbers, and bring our Tour Checklist.
Line up two calls
An elder law attorney, and, if a permanent move looks likely, the admissions office of your top-choice home. Doing both early keeps your options open instead of forcing a rushed placement.
Put this to work for your family
Look up any Texas nursing home on the government's own records, see how long care is affordable, or get the full funding playbook.
Educational information only, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Figures are current for 2026, drawn from Texas HHS, the American Council on Aging, and CMS Care Compare. Ellery Care accepts no payment from any facility.