Long-Term Care Planning for Georgia Families Who Want to Stay Ahead of the Costs
Georgia nursing home care now averages $7,000 to $9,000 per month — and most families aren't financially prepared when the need arrives. A long-term care plan built before a health event gives you options. Without one, you're making irreversible financial decisions under pressure.
Planning Now Costs Less Than Reacting Later
The families who come to us in the middle of a health crisis almost always say the same thing: they wish they had started sooner. When planning happens under pressure, options narrow. Strategies that require years to execute aren't available. Medicaid's look-back period can disqualify transfers that would have been perfectly legal with more lead time. A plan built today — even an incomplete one that we refine over time — is worth more than a perfect plan that never gets started.
How Campen Estate Planning Approaches Long-Term Care
We work with families across Fayette and Coweta Counties — in Peachtree City, Newnan, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Senoia, and the surrounding communities — who are trying to get ahead of care costs before a health event forces the conversation. Our approach is counselor-led, not document-driven. We help you think through what you actually want for your family, then build a legal plan that supports it.
Our flat fee model means you'll know the cost upfront, and you can ask every question you have without watching the clock. Our three-year review cycle means your plan stays current as your family's circumstances, assets, and Georgia law evolve. And when you work with us, you meet with Daniel — not a paralegal, not a junior associate.
The Components of a Long-Term Care Plan We Build Together
A complete long-term care plan isn't a single document — it's a set of coordinated decisions across legal, financial, and care dimensions. Here's what that typically includes for families we work with in Fayette and Coweta Counties.
Care Preferences and Decision-Making Authority
Before any financial strategy can be built, someone needs to be authorized to carry it out. That means having a durable financial power of attorney and a healthcare power of attorney in place — documents that give a trusted person the legal authority to act when the time comes. We also help families document care preferences through advance directives, so that decisions about treatment and living arrangements reflect what the individual actually wants.
Asset Review and Long-Term Care Cost Modeling
We work with families to understand what assets are in play, how they're titled, and how they interact with potential Medicaid eligibility down the road. This isn't about hiding assets — it's about understanding which assets are countable under Medicaid rules, which are exempt, and what legitimate planning strategies exist to preserve what a family has worked a lifetime to build.
Long-Term Care Insurance as Part of the Plan
Long-term care insurance can be a meaningful part of a well-structured plan — particularly for families who want to preserve assets without relying entirely on Medicaid. We don't sell insurance products, but we do help clients understand how an existing policy or a prospective one fits within their overall legal and financial strategy. If you're considering coverage, we can help you think through how it interacts with the rest of your plan before you make that decision.
Georgia Home and Community-Based Care Programs
Not every care need requires nursing home placement. Georgia's Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and other Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers provide funding for in-home care, adult day services, and community support that can help individuals age in place longer. These programs have eligibility requirements and waiting lists, which is another reason early planning matters. We help families understand whether these programs are a viable part of their strategy and how to position for them.
How Campen Estate Planning Approaches Long-Term Care
We work with families across Fayette and Coweta Counties — in Peachtree City, Newnan, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Senoia, and the surrounding communities — who are trying to get ahead of care costs before a health event forces the conversation. Our approach is counselor-led, not document-driven. We help you think through what you actually want for your family, then build a legal plan that supports it.
Our flat fee model means you'll know the cost upfront, and you can ask every question you have without watching the clock. Our three-year review cycle means your plan stays current as your family's circumstances, assets, and Georgia law evolve. And when you work with us, you meet with Daniel — not a paralegal, not a junior associate.
What Long-Term Care Planning Actually Covers
Long-term care planning is broader than most people realize. It's not just about nursing homes, and it's not just about Medicaid. It's a coordinated strategy that addresses where care will happen, who will make decisions, how costs will be managed, and what assets can be preserved — developed while you still have the full range of options available.
The Full Spectrum of Care Settings
Care needs rarely begin at the nursing home level. Most families move through a progression: in-home care first, then assisted living or memory care as needs increase, and skilled nursing facility placement only when medical complexity requires it. Each stage carries different costs, different eligibility rules, and different planning opportunities. A plan that only accounts for the final stage leaves families underprepared for everything that comes before it.
The Difference Between Long-Term Care Planning and Medicaid Planning
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. Long-term care planning is the full strategy — documenting care preferences, coordinating powers of attorney, evaluating insurance options, and positioning assets for whatever the future holds. Medicaid planning is one tool within that strategy, focused specifically on qualifying for Medicaid benefits when nursing home or home-based care costs become the primary concern. We address both at Campen, and we help families understand which piece they need — and when.
Why the Timing of Your Plan Matters
The most effective long-term care plans are built five to ten years before anticipated need. That window is when the most strategies are available, when assets can be repositioned within Medicaid's five-year look-back period, and when insurance options are still accessible at reasonable premiums. Families who begin planning while everyone is still healthy have choices. Families who begin planning after a diagnosis or hospitalization are working with what's left.
Who We Work With on Long-Term Care Planning
Long-term care planning at Campen serves several distinct groups, each with different needs and different timelines. Families with aging parents who are still healthy but want a plan in place before a health event changes everything — often adult children coordinating with parents who are in their 60s, 70s, or early 80s — make up a significant part of who we work with. Individuals and couples approaching retirement who want to understand how long-term care costs could affect their financial picture, and what legal structures can help protect what they've built, are another common fit. We also work with families already navigating a care transition — a parent who has recently been diagnosed with a serious condition, or who has just moved into a facility — where the focus shifts to what can still be done and how to make the most of the options that remain. Whatever stage you're in, we'll meet you there and help you figure out the next right step.
Long-Term Care Planning Questions We Hear Often
How much does long-term care in Georgia actually cost?
In 2025, skilled nursing facility care in Georgia averages approximately $11,000 per month — the figure used by Georgia Medicaid as its penalty divisor for calculating transfer penalties. Assisted living costs vary widely but typically range from $3,000 to $5,500 per month. In-home care costs depend on hours needed and the level of medical support required. These numbers make clear why planning ahead — rather than spending down assets in real time — matters so much for most families.What is Medicaid's look-back period and how does it affect planning?
Georgia Medicaid applies a five-year look-back period when evaluating nursing home applications. This means Medicaid reviews asset transfers made in the five years before application, and transfers made for less than fair market value can result in a period of ineligibility. This is why long-term care planning needs to begin well before nursing home placement — strategies that reposition assets legally take time to execute and time to season.Does long-term care insurance replace the need for legal planning?
No — the two work together. Long-term care insurance addresses how care costs are paid. Legal planning addresses who has authority to make decisions, how assets are structured, and whether Medicaid may be needed if care costs exceed what insurance covers. A policy without legal documents in place leaves critical gaps, and legal planning without any consideration of funding leaves financial exposure. We help clients think through both sides of the equation.What is Georgia's Community Care Services Program?
The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) is a Georgia Medicaid waiver program that funds in-home and community-based care for individuals who would otherwise require nursing home placement. Formerly administered as the Community Care Services Program (CCSP), the program was consolidated under EDWP and continues to offer services including personal care, homemaker assistance, adult day health, and respite care for family caregivers. The program has eligibility requirements and is subject to enrollment capacity, which is another reason early planning and early application matter for families who want to explore this option.
How do I start long-term care planning if I'm not sure what I need?
The best starting point is a conversation. We offer a free 15-minute consultation that gives you a chance to describe your family's situation and get a clear sense of what planning looks like for your specific circumstances. Most families leave that call with a much clearer picture of what steps make sense and in what order. You don't need to have everything figured out before you call.
Start the Conversation While the Options Are Still Open
Long-term care planning is one of those things that's easy to defer when life is busy and everyone is still healthy. But the families who plan early are the ones who get to make real choices — about care settings, about asset preservation, about who makes decisions and how. We're here to help you think it through, at your pace, without pressure.
Call us at (678) 340-3223 or schedule a free 15-minute consultation online. Our office is located at 110 Millbrook Village Drive in Tyrone, and we serve families throughout Fayette and Coweta Counties and across Georgia via virtual consultation.
