Always follow the money, ClancyJ. Maybe why FL has such a culture of death. There are probably thousands of retirees with no heirs. Then there is the nursing home problem. TX pays about 3,000 dollars a month per patient for nursing home care. No one wants parents to have to sell and use their estate for that bill, so they have the parent give them the estate beforehand, so the patient can claim destitution. They tightened up the law somewhat by not allowing such transfers of wealth to occur less than three years before such nursing home indigents make such claims, but I'd say it' not working. Most of the cases I know of can get by for a three year wait. Frankly, I don't think the old and indigent have a prayer.
It appears that the government penalizes the people who try to have something. My grandfather at age 84 needed help. He was told he had to sign his home over to them. His brother, an alcholic, who never owned a pot or a window was in bad health too. The government furnished his brother with a place to stay, and a nurse to boot..cost him nothing
My grandfather didn't sign his home over to the government. We, the family took care of gramps, he was a wonderful person and I miss him.