To wakeupamerica: Why shouldn't we expect help for the government?? Our government spends millions of dollars helping other countries and even gives medicaid to illegal aliens!! If any of you live in the State of Vermont, they have a plan for helping caregivers financially. Just don't move to Alabama. There is nothing available to those of us who quit our jobs and our lives to care for a loved one. I have been caring for my mother who is bedridden, on a feeding tube, oxygen, diapers, etc for nearly six years. I had my father to care for also until his death in 2004. My husband and I have exhausted my retirement money and are now dipping regularly into our savings. At this rate, there will soon be nothing left. We have worked, paid taxes, etc all of our lives and are just trying to do the right thing. I have no regrets about expecting something back from a government that has used my taxes so ineptly for years!!

I was doing my parent's taxes and was wondering can my mother claim my father as a dependent,she has the job and makes decent money and provides for more than 50% of her income to take care of him, but will she need to claim the small check he receives from SSI or not. I can not find any information on this. Thank you for any responses.

can anyone help, i just recently removed my mother from a nursing home and want to do all i can to keep her at home she suffers from alzheimers/dementia she is still young 65 and am trying to find programs that will help me fix my home so she can have access to getting outside, taking showers, and trying to get a room done for her so she can have her own room. my mom has suffered from this for about the last 10 years. i know she is young to be having this but i am just trying to do all i can for her, i have been in the medical field now for the past 21yrs and never in my life did i think i would be caring for my own parent... anyone got answers or suggestions..thank you all.

I amj in california. The only program I can find is Office on Aging. They will guide tou thur their program. It takes from 4 to 6 weeks for a home interveiw. They then let you know if you quailify as a home caregiver. It sounds like the cope program that 244kind spoke about. Only this info is for the state of calif. I found this info thur the local senior citizen office. Hope I helped someone out there.

Some states do provide a very modest compensation for family caregivers. It varies state to state. Our state, NC, does not. Being a family caregiver myself I understand the sacrifices we all make in our professional and personal lives to care for our elderly parents, but why should the government pay us to do it? That's why our nation is where it is now, entitlement programs.

I am the caretaker for my 93 yeart old mother and have been since 2001. She is fiesty, stubborn and cute as a button. I am 68 and disabled. Her socilal security qualifies her for several programs which have been a godsend to me.

Understand, I have access to a speakerphone (essential when dealing with any agency) and a computer with high speed internet access ( available at a library or community center)

Through endless hours and endless patience, I have had mom's medicare premium of $96. mo removed

My 84 year old grandmother who is bed ridden with alzheimer's and my 50 year old mentally retarded aunt has been living with me since Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. Together they receive $1200 a month which is not enough to take care of the monthly expenses. What type of funding is available to help me continue to care for them?

well good luck, i live in the state of south carolina and so far no one as been able to help me with anything. i have tried s/s office, i have tried verybody, everyone seems completley stupid when i ask. i did manage to get a $25.00 gas card from the american cancer society. and by the way, since my last comments, we were told my mother has stage 3 lung cancer. and i lost my job over all this and neither of my brothers still don't bother to help. i blame our government. look at all the money that is wasted in this country. that could help people like us. i still can't get over spending 160 million dollars on the presidential parades, balls and all that crap when our country is in the state it is. we have americans who can barely live and some are starving. shame on our government. i walk out of the grocery stores and there are more and more people wandering and begging for food. shame, shame, shame on our government.

can you get paid for caring for an elderly parent? and if yes who do you contact?

my mother (77) recently had back surgery, after 2 months of therapy she still can not walk. before this she lived alone and was very dependent. she does not want to go to a care center and wants to live a home. Can I get some king of government compensation (or other plan) to take care of her? At the moment I am not working and not financial free./thank you

I take care of my Moms need because of Parkinsons(All medical apt/ banking , Transportatin,bathing , all health needs. Is there any money through social security or other programs , or some kind of stipend to help with some of my daily expenses. I had to quite my job because of needs that she needs for a good qualitiy of life/ Thankyou..Lonna

Boy, I really identify with "emacmahan" I am 56 years old and have been taking care of my 85 year old mother since my father died almost 5 years ago. I was working full time and trying to take care of her at the same time. As her needs increased I found myself having to take "a lot" of leave without pay, and was becoming sick more often and struggling to keep it all together, including keeping my job. My stress level has been off the charts. My one brother finds it very difficult to be involved with mom, and so is for the most part, not in the picture. It's a terrible feeling of being alone and sometimes scared that you won't be able to hold it all together. You are a very brave person, who should be praised for the love and care you are giving your mother.
I want to share with you a possible opportunity that a friend told me about and which I am now involved in. I don't know if your state provides this option, but I will at least share with you and then you can check to see if your state provides anything like it. It's a program available through Medicaid that pays an adult child to be the caregiver of their parent. This program is called COPES and again is for sure offered through "Washington State" Medicaid, but don't know which other states, if any offer this option. I will say that it is quite an involved and lengthy process, and ultimately, after indepth assessments in your home and a very detailed finanicial evaluation, they decide if you parent and you qualify to be involved. They will then establish how many hours per month they will pay you to take care of your parent. Depending on the level of your parent's needs, they will establish how many hours they will pay you for. It can be minimal or more... It might be worth your time to check and see if your state provides this kind of option (COPES program), or even something else that would be similar. With the COPES program you should be prepared to provide very detailed information about your parent's total income and all property and assets, as well as providing the total income for the household your parent lives in. A background check has to be done so be sure to have a valid driver's license and either your SS card, birth certificate or current passport ready at hand. Again, it's quite a lengthy qualification process, but it's well worth the effort if you qualify.
Hope this encourages you to check with your state's Department of Social and Health Services to see if they have anything like this available. Hang in there, you are so not alone! God bless! 244kind

Emacmahan: The first thing I would do is see if you qualify for your state's Medicaid program

i live with my 84 year old mother, her health has been declining in the last 4 years, i work a job, i only make 8.25 per hour and i have been there for 8 years. no insurance, no retirement, no anything. when my mother isn't doing well and can't be left home alone and i stay with her, i don't get paid. i am financially ruined. my mother's s/s barely sees her through the month, so she can't help me with my bills. i promised her i would never put her in a nursing home. neither of my brother's bother to help me. they travel, play golf, etc. i haven't been on a date in over 5 years. i am 54 years old and now i am starting to have some health problems. mostly due to stress. i have anger problems, depression and i can't sleep very well. somebody please help me

My grandmother is 88 and has recently come to live with my husband and me. She lived with my mother and step father, and one month after my mother passed away, my step father told her she had to leave. We had no choice to take her in because she had nowhere else to go. She has some money saved and receives social security, but we don't think she has enough to go into a community on her own. Where can we start to even begin to sort this out? She cannot stay with us given her age and the layout of our house, her forgetfulness to turn off burners while we are at work and locking herself in the garage. Your advice is appreciated.

As a recent Retiree from the Navy I would like to add a few things about the VA:

1) If the person was released from the military for a Disability or Retired after 20 years of service, you will need thier DD 214 before contacting the VA Hospital for Medical appointments. If you don't have one, you can still contact them for a starting place to receive a replacement.

2) To increase the person's Disability Compensation you will need a Medical History from the time of departure to the present. You will also need the original Disability Rating Letter issued from the VA.

3) The biggest misconception is that a Disabled/Retired Millitary member has to go to a VA hospital to be seen!! This is not true, the person can sign up for TRICARE Prime and see a doctor that accepts TRICARE in thier home town. TRICARE has a list of approved doctors for your area. I pay $460 a year for a Family Plan that allows me to see a doctor who is only 5 miles from my home. If the person is on Medicare/Medicad the regular TRICARE will pick up all copays. Contact TRICARE and they will explain all of the details.

4) Most states now have a state sponsored Veteran Office that help Veterans and thier families through the paperwork process. A quick internet search or phone call to the VA should help you get in touch with the right people.

I am in no way affiliated with the VA or any other organization, just a retired Vet that is trying to help people get pointed in the right direction.

Jack

My aunt is elderly (89) and only has social security income. She is not able to pay her Minnesota property taxes. Are there any tax assistance programs in Minnesota that could help?

I am caring for my aging disabled father in myhome and want to now if you can get compensated for it to cover some of the bills, we live in Phoenix, AZ. Ifanybody hasiany answers please let me know.