My mother in law just had a stroke and my wife wants her to move in so we can take care of her. She lives in arizona and has medical.what do we have to do?
Some clarification, please. Mom lives in Arizona and you want to move her to California to live with you. Is that correct?
When you say she has "medical" do you mean Medicaid? or Medicare? or some other insurance? Does she have an income? Assets?
What kind of care does she need? Strokes can cause a very large range of impairments, from very mild to quite severe. Can she walk? Dress herself? Use the bathroom unassisted? Make herself lunch? Give us some idea of the level of care you would be providing.
Do either or both of you work? Would that have to change?
I'm sure you'll get lots of responses and the more detail you can provide, the more on the mark they can be.
In some cases the parent will be paying the grown child for the care they need.... you will need to draw up a written employment contract saying how many hours per day that either you or your wife will be doing the care.... what will be the salary.... if you or your wife get the weekends off.... if one works weekends, will there be time and a half, and if one works holidays will there be double time.... if there will be paid vacation days and sick days, and if so, who will fill in on those days. Please note that your mother-in-law or either you or your wife will be responsible for payroll taxes.
Or you can call an Agency and pay for certified professional care. Usually when someone has a stroke, that person will need a lot of physical therapy.
You can also call your local Council on Aging and ask if there are any State or local programs that will supply free support.
I think that the first thing you'd need to do is re-establish her Medicaid eligibility in California. (Each state runs the federal program their own way.)
Then the case worker can assess how much in-home care MIL is eligible for. I'm not sure about CA (perhaps another poster will know) but in many states the care can be provided by a family member. If MIL is entitled to physical therapy and you are not a physical therapist they won't pay you, but if she is eligible for 2 hours of housekeeping and one assisted bath and 10 hours of caregiving per week, you may be able to be paid for that. In my state they have you sign up with one of their preferred care agencies who takes care of the paperwork.
MIL can use her SS income to pay you for her room and board.
If MIL needs a lot of care, you might consider placing her in a care center near you, and visiting often while letting the professional staff handle the day-to-day care.
The first step, it seems to me, is establishing Medicaid for her in California. Then a caseworker can help you understand the options.
You don't get paid, and it's a real pain in the butt to get Medicaid changed from one state to another. Medi-Cal is flooded with applicants and she will go on a waiting list and have to completely re-qualify. Not a pretty picture.
The short answer is that most family caregivers do not get paid. If the care recipient has funds and is willing to compensate the caregiver, then they make a private agreement. It sounds like your MIL doesn't have the money to pay you if she's living on Social Security and has no assets.
Some states allow people who are eligible for nursing home care through Medicaid to receive home care instead. My state (Florida) has this, but only in certain areas of the state. I don't know which, if any, states allow a family member to be the paid caregiver. You have to check the rules in the state in which she'll be living.
okay she cant walk has medicaid,can dress her self.She has a social security income,no Assets.I'm on disability for my liver and kidney, my wife works. no she cant make herself lunch.
When you say she has "medical" do you mean Medicaid? or Medicare? or some other insurance? Does she have an income? Assets?
What kind of care does she need? Strokes can cause a very large range of impairments, from very mild to quite severe. Can she walk? Dress herself? Use the bathroom unassisted? Make herself lunch? Give us some idea of the level of care you would be providing.
Do either or both of you work? Would that have to change?
I'm sure you'll get lots of responses and the more detail you can provide, the more on the mark they can be.
Or you can call an Agency and pay for certified professional care. Usually when someone has a stroke, that person will need a lot of physical therapy.
You can also call your local Council on Aging and ask if there are any State or local programs that will supply free support.
Then the case worker can assess how much in-home care MIL is eligible for. I'm not sure about CA (perhaps another poster will know) but in many states the care can be provided by a family member. If MIL is entitled to physical therapy and you are not a physical therapist they won't pay you, but if she is eligible for 2 hours of housekeeping and one assisted bath and 10 hours of caregiving per week, you may be able to be paid for that. In my state they have you sign up with one of their preferred care agencies who takes care of the paperwork.
MIL can use her SS income to pay you for her room and board.
If MIL needs a lot of care, you might consider placing her in a care center near you, and visiting often while letting the professional staff handle the day-to-day care.
The first step, it seems to me, is establishing Medicaid for her in California. Then a caseworker can help you understand the options.
Some states allow people who are eligible for nursing home care through Medicaid to receive home care instead. My state (Florida) has this, but only in certain areas of the state. I don't know which, if any, states allow a family member to be the paid caregiver. You have to check the rules in the state in which she'll be living.