NJ bill aims to protect finances of nursing home residents

Residents of nursing homes need more protections to guard them when they sign admission documents and enroll in Medicaid, advocates say.

By: Lilo H. Stainton

Outlets: New Jersey Monitor

Published: February 19, 2026

Words: 1,202

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 1 day ago

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The first time Gail Smith signed a contract with a nursing home detailing how she would pay for her stay, she was so delirious she didn’t even know her own name.

Medical treatment after a risky emergency surgery had left the former legal secretary incapable of properly reading, understanding, and signing the document, Smith told the New Jersey Monitor.

“My signature looked like a tumbleweed,” Smith said.

It’s a story she …

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