My 89 yr old mother lived with us for a year after a bad fall and insisted on paying rent each month. Her mental and physical condition quickly deteriorated to the point where her doctor and us decided a nursing facility 24/7 was necessary. We are in process of paying out of her account a prepaid funeral, which I think is a good idea. She has 40K + in her accounts and we are aware of Medicaid's 5 year "look-back" period. I don't have Power of Attorney and if she has her way, I never will. She thinks I dumped her in the nursing home so I could take all her stuff! I am on her checking and money market accounts as an "or" so I can pay bills, etc. Frankly, and this probably sounds cold, but I hate to see her estate (money only) go to the nursing home when her heir could use it more. Since I take care of all her business, can I charge against her account a reasonable fee each month without Medicaid getting sideways with me later? Again, there is NO WAY she would sign something to give me authority! We tried years ago to get her to transfer money into her son's name and prepay her funeral and sign a Power of Attorney but my mother would have none of it. I tried to explain to her that once she entered a nursing facility her nest egg was for all intense and purposes....gone! I just could not get through! I hope I do not sound like I am just money hungry. I'm not, I just hate to see it all vanish into a dark hole called a nursing home. I fully expect an answer like "consult a lawyer" but thought I might gleen some free information first. Thanks in advance.