Most people do not approach the subject of a nursing home admission with glee. Patients are afraid and children are both embarrassed and depressed. The challenges faced on an emotional level are just so great that many people will do anything to avoid the outcome. Yet, you still have to plan.
The first and best reason that you have to Plan is that the vast majority of home care situations become untenable as the elder grows older. Its not the age that makes the difference, its the fact that most people now die of slow degenerative disease processes that eventually place their care, comfort and pain levels beyond the capacity of the average family to manage.
The second reason that it is good to plan is that under the current set of look back laws and penalized transfer laws, the earlier you start to preserve an estate and arrange eligibility for Nursing Home benefits under Medicaid, the more options you will have at your disposal when the time comes.
The third reason it is good to plan is that it is cheaper to do ahead of time than it is to do at the last minute when mom is on her way to a nursing home and finances are in the ditch.
So, even though you have made the decision to care for a parent at home, do the wise thing and seek out an elder law attorney to help in pre-positioning right away.