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lromonsky Asked January 2018

Can you get financial assistance if you quit your job to stay with mother with Alzheimer's after father has passed away?

anonymous439773 Jan 2018
There is a Medicaid waiver program that pays for a family member to care for their family member. In most states, if these are available, there is a long waiting list for the waiver and only a limited number of hours are paid each week and the pay is low. In the program I work with, it is 8-12 hours a week at $12.00 an hour. Not a living wage. In a neighboring state they only pay for four hours. And some states waivers are restricted to families with a severely disabled child on Medicaid.

Follow the above advice of C Magnum and jeannegibbs. It's accurate.

sophe509 Jan 2018
Even if you can pay a relative to look after Mom, sometimes the quality of care suffers because the caregiver is new to the task, feels overwhelmed, gets angry, falls asleep, etc. If you plan to do this anew, have a contract in writing about reimbursement from whomever/whatever and get some training. I agree, don't give up your job and your life. You can read about others here who have gone that path and it seems it doesn't work out very well in most cases. Better to look at the specific care items you see are not being met, handyman, meal prep, housekeeping, and hire those out specifically. That should hold for a while.

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jeannegibbs Jan 2018
In many states, Medicaid does have a program to pay for some in-home care, and often that pay can go to an adult child or other relative. But it is usually for a limited number of hours per week, even if the caregiver is on duty 24/7, and the hourly pay is low. Call your area's Senior Help Line and see what they can tell you about this topic in your state.

notrydoyoda Jan 2018
Not any amount that you can live on. It would be wiser not to quit your job, but to look for other options for your mother including applying for Medicaid and finding a nursing home that will take people with medicaid pending. Does she have any means by which caregivers could be brought in that she pays for. I do hope that you already have her medical and durable POA. That might not be an issue if she is very early in Alzheimer's. You'll need them if you don't already have them. 

Someone with Alzheimer's eventually becomes too much for one person doing 24/7. 

My dad has three caregivers in his home for three shifts everyday of the week.

I would love to know who is telling people that someone is going to pay them for taking care of their loved ones because it is a favorite question here. Some people are paid by their parents via a written contract. 

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