My 88 year old grandmother wants to give each of her grandchildren and great children a small sum of money for Christmas. How much can she give and not be penalized down the road if she needs to apply for medicare to pay for her nursing home fees. She is currently in a private pay nursing home. She has enough money to pay for about 3 more years of nursing home fees. She is in fair health and will probably outlive this money. Does anyone have any advice about this?