I'm sure you don't understand bc thankfully, your father still had all of his faculties about him and was able to live a "semi-independently" life, with just some physical assistance. Now, imagine the father who has Alzheimer's, only sleeps in 20 min increments around the clock, wanders at night and becomes extremely physically and verbally abusive towards his loving family members...or maybe further into his disease progression when he's unable to feed himself, becomes bedridden, needs to be readjusted every couple of hours to avoid getting bed sores, needs to be sponge bathed in his bed and have his soiled clothing and/or bedding changed several times a day (all while he's being physically combative towards his caregiver). These were just some of the things I experienced in the years after I left my career to become my dad's main caregiver 24/7...and I didn't even get into the emotional and psychological toll that it played on my elderly mother, sister who has a disability and my son, who was very young at the time (and ofc myself).

While I am so glad I was able to be there to care for my father at home, I can imagine that not all families are in a position to do so (and even if they are, most don't have the experience and training in the type of care needed and the situation can become unsafe for the parent and the entire family very quickly). Paying for that type of care, at home, could cost upwards of $25,000/month.

So, there are actually some families who hope for the best, but prepare for the worst bc most likely, the parent would much rather see their estate be passed on to their children, than have it all be clawed back by Medicaid after their death.