Financial help?

I have personally talked to many people who are caring for an elderly ill parent. They have Medicare Medicaid and supplemental insurance and they can’t afford to put their parent in a nursing home. I am one of those many people. My father and I were caregivers for my severely ill mother for over 20 years. My parents at one time had a great savings built up. What so many people just don’t get is even with Insurance Medicare Medicaid. Long term severe illness can completely destroy you financially. It destroyed my parents. Remember NONE of these forms of insurance pay for everything. My mother got so bad that my father and I together couldn’t care for her anymore. We had no choice but to put her in a nursing home. That completely finished off my parents and me financially, mentally, emotionally and physically. Human beings were created to love help each other and care for each other. Not to be greedy heartless and selfish to each other. I’m not ashamed embarrassed or feel guilty for asking for help financially or any other type of help. I have spent my life helping people and not just my family. Then when I need help that’s a completely different situation it’s like pulling teeth to get real sincere help. People love to give their worthless opinions advice lecture judge and give a lot of empty talk broken promises and political games.

For the most part state governments want to cut programs, not increase them. Kansas in particular has cut everything possible. Everyone wants less taxes not more. If your parent was accepted into Medicaid you could apply for an in home caregiving waiver. However, these are limited. Priority is generally given to a parent caregiving their child. And, if you do get one, it is limited hours - maximum hours are about 28 hours per week and at times as low as four hours. Some states do not offer any Medicaid waivers. 

Todd, I can understand how you feel. Unfortunately if we tried to fund caregivers who are caring for a love one, every State would go bankrupted immediately unless taxes are increased, and as we know many voters usually vote "no" to tax increases.

The Federal government does help with some funding to every State but with the current Administration it looks like cuts to Medicaid could be on the horizon. Be lucky we have Medicaid to help out, but I know not everyone wants their aging parents in a nursing home.

I know it was a real eye opener when my parents were getting much older as to the cost of aging. It was major sticker shock as to the cost of long-term-care/nursing home... cost of Independent Living and Assisted Living/Memory Care... even the cost of having caregivers coming to my parents house. My folks did save for those "rainy days" and by george it was storming out there !!

Our local newspaper, the Washington Post, has had numerous articles about aging care, about dementia, and other factors of caregiving. But I bet the only people who read those articles are the ones already down in the trenches doing caregiving. The ones not doing caregiving usually skip over those articles.... [sigh]

I don't know what is the answer to this. Except raising taxes to help with caregiving. Similar to school taxes. Where every tax payer chips in. And to teach the younger generation to save like there is no tomorrow.

Everyone I have ever talked to who is or knows someone who is a fulltime caregiver for an ill family member. The caregiver and person being cared for are experiencing severe financial hardship. With the baby boomer generation rapidly aging. The number of people experiencing financial hardship is growing by leaps and bounds. In my personal research I haven’t come across any organization in the public or private sector. Who is giving any attention to this enormous growing problem?

Todd, are you asking if you could be paid to be your Dad's caregiver? If yes, please note the majority of grown children who are caregivers are not paid.... unless your Dad can pay you out of his own retirement funds. If yes, then you and Dad would need to draw up an employment agreement.

Another option is for Dad to sign up for Medicaid [which is different from Medicare]... if Dad is accepted into the program, maybe you could be paid a minimal amount. Medicaid is paid through taxpayers thus money is limited.