My brother was POA. He has signed over to me because he is gravely ill. What is the best way to manage my mom's limited assets?

I would not move your mother back into an old house that may require lots of renovations to make it feasible for her to "age in place" there. Upkeep alone is a huge headache, and you will be the one who is going to have to hire the people who will maintain it. And when something goes wrong - boiler breaks, roof leaks, etc etc - she will have to pay for it. An assisted living/memory care situation takes all of those headaches away.

Call the renters and ask them if they are interested in purchasing the house. If they don't want to purchase it, let them know that you are considering selling the house. Ask a realtor who knows the neighborhood where your mom's house is to check out the house. Normally, it would be late to put it on the market now but the pandemic has changed things, and lots of families are looking to move out of cities. A good realtor will give you good advice.

Another consideration is making sure her next move (if not to your home) needs to be to a facility that not only accepts Medicaid (even if she doesn't yet need it) but that has a continuum of care to the next levels so she doesn't have to be moved again. It should have AL, LTC, MC and hospice. If you are currently working part time, this is still not going to be enough to care for her as she declines. You need to be your own best advocate, as caregiving is extremely strenuous on many levels. Please read some of the posts on this forum under Burnout. I wish you much wisdom as you come to a decision.

I'm very sorry for your brother's illness. Am I correct in interpreting your post that he signed over his PoA for your mom to you? I don't know if this is legally possible, unless you were designated as some sort of alternate on the paperwork. Thanks for clarifying.

Are you named on the POA documents as successor? I would first have it reviewed by a lawyer to make sure you have proper legal authority to act on Mum’s behalf.

If Mum’s level of care is increasing, please think long and hard about having her move back in with you. One person cannot provide 24/7 care.

If you sell Mum’s house how many more months of care could you pay for? Would she be eligible for Medicaid when her funds run out?

I have an ongoing Conversation with my mother when she claims she does not have enough money. I remind her that if she sold her home she would have enough cash to more than meet her needs to age 100, she is 86. But we are in Canada and a Subsidized nursing home would cost 70% of her income. A full cost one about $5000 per month.

Will the care home or memory care accept Medicaid in your state?

Before moving your mother in with you, please go back and re-read your posts from when she DID live with you.

The best use of her funds would be to spend some consulting with an elder law attny and a financial planner with a good knowledge of medicaid and related issues, although it may seem expensive it will likely save both heartache and $$ in the long run.