My Family's Experience with LTC

Each person has some relationship with long term care, whether they be 15 years old in a nursing home due to an end stage renal disease, or they be 25 and have a grandparent in a nursing home. My relationship to long term care is my grandmother. She is not using long term care personally at the moment, but in the event that the situation does arise, the steps she would have to take to make sure the funds are in line, are pretty interesting. The situation with my grandmother also let's me see the difference between generations, their health, and health management.
My grandmother married a black man in the 1950's, when it just want not acceptable to have an interracial marriage. Because of their relationship, at that time, my grandmother, for whatever reasons, was not able to be put on my grandfather's Will, her name was not on the house with his, nor was she to be the beneficiary of any of his insurance benefits, sad I know. My grandfather passed a little over 15 years ago, to liver cancer, and my grandmother was left with nothing. She went from living a very comfortable life of a thriving tile business owner, to a widow with no insurance, income, or house, technically because her name is not on the house. My grandmother had never worked a job, and had an education equivalent to that of a middle schooler. She did not think to inquire about her health or living situation and assumed everything would be fine until she found out she was border line diabetic. Long story short, she had no health coverage, and is not resorting to the unfavorable idea of a reverse mortgage. The only problem is the house is not in her name. She is going through many loops to get this reverse mortgage to take care of her medical bills and other expenses. She is not educated on Medicare, which I am sure she would be applicable for, but older, stubborn, southern women, would rather do everything their way, and don't bother with complicated paperwork. The problem is, that upon my grandmother's death, the burden of the reverse mortgage payment falls on her eight children. This is unfortunate that these great lengths have to be taken to make sure that someone can be taken care of in the long run. All she wants to be taken care of, who is to say in a few years she won't need a home help aide, or to be put in an assisted living facility. She is to stubborn to stay in a nursing home, I know, but she does do a lot of senior activities with an adult day care type program. She is fortunate to have 8 children to fund her expenses, but is also sad that the things she is doing to make sure that she will always be able to be taken care of have to be so extensive.
Lastly, with this situation going on, I see the difference in health care management between generations. For example, my father, who is hard working individual and has been with the same company over 20 years, which allows him retirement before 50 years of age, is extremely dedicated to investing money in ANY type of fund, stock, or holding, that will allow him to profit more form it in the future. I think it is interesting that he takes the time to read and invest in beneficial things, where as his parents are using health care resources that fund the bare minimum, which is sad. But hopefully continued education and motivation will allow all future generations to have a healthy and convenient future.