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Getting Paid To Take Care Of Your Elderly Loved One

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When a family member gets older or becomes too sick to care for themselves, we naturally want to do everything we can to care for them. However, even our best intentions can be overshadowed by the realities of caring for an aging person. Being a family caregiver is challenging work, and the emotional and financial tolls may be unsurmountable on your own. 

 

According to the AARP, family caregivers provide upwards of half a trillion dollars each year in unpaid labor to care for their loved ones. As the costs of living continue to rise for everyone, taking care of a loved one increases families’ emotional and financial stress unless there is some outside relief and support. If you are currently taking care of an elderly family member or considering doing so in the future, it pays to know about programs that may help you get paid. 

 

Medicaid

If your loved one receives Medicaid, they may be able to hire you as a paid caregiver in some states. The Medicaid Waiver Self-directed Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) programs allow Medicaid participants to have decision-making authority over who cares for them and how the supplemental funds are spent. Depending on the type of Medicaid plan and the state’s requirements, you may be able to receive Medicaid funding to care for your loved one. 

 

Administration On Aging & Department Of Aging Services

Each state has several local governmental agencies with programs that may be able to help you offset some of your caregiving costs. The Administration on Aging (AAA) may provide resources like:

  • Meal plan
  • Respite care
  • Mobility assistance
  • Housing
  • Caregiver training
  • Other supplemental services

You can visit Eldercare.acl.gov for contact information for your local AAA Agency to learn more about available services and how to apply.

 

Veterans Programs 

If the loved one you are caring for is a veteran, they may qualify for the Veteran Directed Care Program. Designed for veterans who require daily assistance and their caregivers, the Veteran Directed Care Program provides a budget to help meet the expenses of an aging place. With this budget, the veteran can hire a family member or another person to provide in-home care and purchase necessities for care management. 

 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also provides Aid & Attendance, which increases veterans’ monthly pension if they need treatment, are bedridden, are visually impaired, or need a regular caregiver to help with daily activities. This caregiver can be a family member as well as any other person. 

 

Setting Up Care

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Any time you’re trying to provide for an elderly family member and looking for a place for them to live, there are a lot of considerations to be made. Some of these have to do with the care they’re getting throughout the day, and some have to do with longer-term issues like estate planning or dealing with a legacy property. Others, though, have to do with funding. How do you make sure that the family has the resources that they need to keep a family member in a home?

 

Consultation and Care

 

The short answer is that you can get excellent advice from professional teams who know what they’re doing when it comes to elder care.

 

At River Oaks Homecare, we sit down with families and talk about various funding possibilities, because we feel like this is an important part of how they make decisions. This includes a range of options that the family might not know about unless they’re closely involved in this line of work. So we help to explain – because that’s what we would want others to do for us if we were in that situation. So many things today need specialized attention, where people who are most in the know have to “translate” things  to others, to some extent. With that said, here’s some of what can help families. 

 

Medicaid/Medicare Waivers

 

There are a number of waiver options available in the state of Pennsylvania. We often go over these with families.

 

One is simply an “aging waiver.” This applies to many seniors and can be a source of funding for long-term care.

 

There is also an attentive care waiver for individuals with some disabilities.

 

Another disability-based waiver is the Obra home/community waiver that also provides for disabled persons to stay in a community. This can apply to residential home care or other types of long-term care.

 

A fourth type of waiver is a “Commcare waiver” that applies to individuals with traumatic brain injury.

 

Other Funding

 

If an elderly family member had served in the military at some point, they may be eligible for some types of veteran’s aid or assistance.

 

In other cases, the individual had selected some type of long-term care plan that could help pay the costs of this type of service.

 

Where a family does have to self-pay for part or all of the care, we can help with consulting and ideas about how to get the right solution for a particular family.

 

You can see a lot more on the website for how to make the decisions around care. Reach out and we will help you as much as we can. That’s part of our mission, and a commitment that we make to families. 

 

What You Need To Know About the Medicaid Waiver Program

What You Need To Know About the Medicaid Waiver Program

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The older you get, the harder you should focus on developing healthy habits. An integral part of being a healthy senior citizen is receiving the medical care you need. Without a comprehensive health insurance policy, you will have tons of out-of-pocket costs. For years, senior citizens around the United States have relied on a government program known as Medicaid to get the health insurance they need. Qualifying for Medicaid and Medicare can be difficult for some people, which is why strides have been made to make this government health insurance program more accessible.

The Medicaid Waiver Program provides states with the ability to tailor-make healthcare options for at-need people in the community. By waiving certain requirements and rules, the wider array of people who actually need healthcare coverage are approved. Here are some things you need to know about the Medicaid Waiver Program and what it offers.

In-Home Care Is Covered Under This Program

As previously mentioned, the federal government has left who gets this type of in-home and community healthcare coverage to the states. With these waivers, people who would not normally qualify for this government healthcare program are granted special access.  Under the guidelines of this program, states are allowed to issues as many waivers as they deem necessary if they meet certain criteria like:

  • The waiver is designed to offer a care-centered plan for the individual
  • The services in question don’t cost more than they would at a hospital or other approved medical establishment
  • The medical services in question will improve a person’s health/welfare

These waivers are generally used for non-medical services like adult daycares, home health aides and personal care assistance. If you or a loved one is in need of home care services, the professionals at River Oaks Home Care are here to help.

Who Is Eligible For These Waivers?

One of the main things most people want to know when they find out about the Medicaid Waiver Program is who is eligible. A variety of states have more than one office that handles these waiver programs and the dispersal of the benefits they offer. You need to realize that not everyone will be able to qualify for this waiver program. The average applicant has to meet various medical criteria before they are approved. In most cases, you will have to prove that your medical condition is so severe that in-home/community care is needed on a consistent basis.

What Do You Need To Apply For One Of These Waivers?

If you are in dire need of in-home care and have no way to pay for it, then applying for a Medicaid Waiver is crucial. While the application process for these waivers will vary from state to state, the information you have to provide to get approved is basically the same.

Ideally, you want to take in a report from your doctor that adequately describes your medical condition and the justification for the in-home/community care you are requesting. If you are ready to start this application process and get the in-home care you need, visit the Medicare/Medicaid website to find out how to contact an office in your state.

If you are curious about how in-home care can benefit you, it’s time to talk to a member of our staff.