SUBURBAN WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Alexis Hodges is just out of the Navy, and living in Virginia.
A call from her mother's Boynton Beach nursing home threw her into a panic.
Her mother's insurance had run out and ManorCare, her mother facility was kicking her out.
"They gave me a few hours notice," Hodges said. "It's completely unacceptable and unrealistic."
Hodges says she begged for more time. Instead, ManorCare tried to drop her mother off at the Westgate Tabernacle homeless shelter.
"I said, wait a minute, if she had a stroke, she can't really be doing for herself," said shelter director Sylvia Nedley. "They said no she was fine. It was just the light attitude towards all of it."
Nedley says she refused to take Hodges because the shelter could not accommodate her medical condition.
Hodges was taken back to ManorCare where she remains for now.
Boynton Beach resident David Price says another local nursing home put his mother in a similar situation.
"I blame the system," Price said. "It's a crazy system. You can't win."
Elder care attorney Todd Zellen in Delray Beach says the law requires facilities give a 30 day notice and give patients the opportunity to sign up for Medicaid.
If they're denied they're suppose to work with the family to find a "safe" place.
"A nursing home is a business," Zellen said. "It needs to be profitable but there are protections in place for patients."
Here's what families need to know to work the system:
When and if you can- buy long term health care insurance.
Work with an elder care attorney for Medicaid planning.
If you find yourself in a crisis- work with the facility and an attorney to apply for Medicaid immediately.
There are no age requirements for Medicaid, only financial.
You must have a medical condition and make less than $2,022 a month to qualify for nursing home Medicaid.
Know your rights, it is illegal for a facility to dump patients in an unsafe environment.
Alexis Hodges is her mother's only relative. She has hired an attorney and is working with ManorCare
"Thank God I found out ahead of time or she could be walking around, no crawling around on her own because she can't walk on her own," Hodges said.
ManorCare is being tight lipped about the incident, only confirming that Hodges is in their care again and will remain in their care for now.
The facility went on to say it had a medical discharge for Mrs. Hodges so it was not a 30 day involuntary discharge.
ManorCare said, "She was ready to go home because she no longer needed skilled nursing services. Her power of attorney and family would have been notified and given time to find appropriate placement."
