I stopped working to care for my aging Mother. Can I be reimbursed for the care?

what a blessing this is ! would you know if alabama has a program?

Financial assistance to care for loved ones at home seems to be available only in certain regions. Some regions have the PACE program, which , also specific to the region, can help a little or a lot. From my research, there is no national assistance program.
Perhaps if we all contact our legislators about this, programs like these will be available to all of us.

Can anyone give me any info for the State of Georgia I have searched the web but the information is really not revealing itself. thanks in advance

how about texas

I don't know of any programs in Georgia or Texas.
Your legislators can help you find programs and if there are no programs in your area, you need to make them aware of your needs.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Just got faced with the choice of bringing Mom home or leaving her in a nursing home.Because her modest income does not allow her to receive Medicaid, she would be considered a private pay and the cost would be $15,000/month. Looks like I will still be keeping her at home and trying to get help from wherever I can. They told us she can no longer be left on her own and needs someone with her 24/7, which is basically what I do now. They tried to tell us that their staff would keep round the clock watch on her. Unfortunately, right after our meeting, I heard a man calling for help. He was in a room two doors down from Mom and had fallen out of his wheelchair. None of the staff heard him, and I had to go get help!! I think she has a better chance of staying safe at home, even if I do have to occasionally let her out of my sight for a short time. They could take everything she owns in 6 months time and not give her the care she can get at home. Although the last couple of weeks without her here have been a blessing, I can't bring myself to leave her there. But, I also will not do all of this alone anymore. I am looking for home companions, etc. to help give me a break. We all deserve a life too, and need to stop feeling like we have to do everything ourselves. Trust me, if your parent has any money at all, it's really tough to find aid. But keep trying, there are some people out there to help.

deefer12
Your hospital should be able to give you some home health workers for a period of time since she was just released. Get your Dr. to call Visiting Nurse and the social worker. Every time there is a change in her condition, you are eligible for additional help.. mom's blood pressure was high, I got the Visiting Nurse for another month!!!!!!

hay what about Oklahoma???? don't leave me out

2 weeks later and Mom still in nursing home. "They" have now decided Mom is making progress in physical therapy and needs 2 more weeks before she can come home. 10 days ago we were told that she would not get enough benefit from the therapy to be able to be on her own at home, because her balance was poor due to Parkinson's. Now that the UTI she had is cleared up, she is much better. Unfortunately, the "Home", has not been making sure she gets her meds on time, causing her to go into mini stupors, that almost make her seem comatose. If you deal with Parkinson's at all, you know they need their meds on time to keep them on an even keel. When she is feeling well, she is very agitated, probably because they have to keep a constant watch on her. She is very obsessive compulsive and has a need to be constantly in motion, causing much trouble to some of the staff. They even went so far as to have the staff psychiatrist interview her to see if she needed a med change to calm her down. Luckily I was there to tell him absolutely no med changes without the ok of her family and doctors. Things are a little quieter at home without her, but I still visit every day, and will bring her home because no matter how much is paid, she will get better care at home. It's a lot of work, but I can't stand by and watch her go through different stages of suffering because she's not getting her meds as needed.
I have found a CNA that was just let go from the nursing home due to budget cuts. She is willing to help me out when I need her. It will be a cash deal between us. Until Mom's assets are gone, and she can go on Masshealth,(Massachusetts Medicaid Plan) I'll plug along as best I can. When she does get on the state plan, I can get paid up to $1500/month, tax free, by the state to take care of her. Please check with your state to see if they have a plan like this. They would rather pay us, than shell out thousands more to a facility. Take care everyone, and hang in there. At least we can live with ourselves!

I know live in Texas taking care of my Mother full time. Does anyone know how Texas is handling caring for parents? Is there a way to get paid being a caregiver? I need help!

The cost of nursing home care varies between $5000 and $7000 to as much as $9000 per month depending upon state and the condition of the patient. In my opinion, $1500 for 24 hour care is disgraceful........but at least it's a start. This is what is scary about health reform. It will place the burden of elder care upon the family without sufficient reimbursement.

I don't know about North or South Carolina but California does not have this type of program YET. Washington state does. Idaho does not. Boomers will change this, so stay tuned for changes in this regard.

Shelley

I know that Texas has it and I heard that Oklahoma did have it but they cut it due to butchet cuts I do get respit vouchers but thay are only about $300.00 per 3 months oklahoma has the advantage program but it isn't worth it too me. still I get no help from no one. and I'm tired. I'm also broke and stressed out. with no help and I have panic attack over this caregiving deal that I go through and have noone to talk to what so ecver I feel like noone cares for me

Hi Allison,
Go to the main Texas Web site and look for a department on aging. It may be under human services or something. Then find a phone number if they don't have comprehensive help online. This should lead you to county and other local options. There are Federal dollars for respite that go to waste because people don't know they qualify. You need to dig, but you'll get some help. Your county social services is good, too, but I'd start at the state level.
Carol

I have a mother who is 71 years of age and I have to stay home and take care of her. she is diagnosed with Parinoid schizophrinic. manic depressive, obsessive compulsive disorder, multipule personality, and mild to moderate alzimers with demitia. she thinks god and jesus is talking to her. thats her mentle state her physical state is she has an ingrown sphinker muscle in her esophucus and is on a soft food diet, so I have to take her to get her throat dialated once a month. or she chokes on food and then she gets phumonia, so her lungs are very weak. she is on oxygen, and has to have breathing treatments 3-4 times a day.
Plus I'm raising a 9 year old little girl by myself with no child support. my Father just passed away about a year ago, and all my mom gets his his soc. sec. of about $1,513.00 a month, so she don't qulaify for food stamps or anything else. I'm getting food stamps and medicade for both my daughter and I. I do have a home health nurse that comes visit my mom every 2 weeks. I had the advantage program at one time for both my mom and dad, but all they did was send a caregiver to help for a total of 15 hours a week, and all they did was wash there clothes, give them baths and clean their area, and then left, sometimes they would come and sometime they would'nt. ( had a hard time finding someone to come out) they also gave me frozen meals or T.V. dinners that would were out dated and little frozen cartins of milk that were out dated. and also gave me shower chairs and hand held showers, plus adult pull-ups and bed pads. ( got overwelmed with those) also got toilet risers for both bathrooms. I had to quit the advantage program coz they couldn't find the right girls who knew what they were doing some would use my my detergent to wash just a little bit of clothes and fill my wash machine to the fullest and our water bill would go sky high. some girls would come and suppose to stay for 3 hours and then leave after 30 min. or they would be too busy talking on their cell phones, and not paying attention to my parents. and now the state of Okla. has sent me a bill for about $ 800.00 and says it was an overpayment, since I quit the program because it wasn't closed right in time. I have no job and I'm about 2 months behind on the house payment and I need help in getting things done around the house, and with this little $1.513.00 all I can do is make house payments and utilitys and try to by moms meds and barily gas for our vehicle to get her to drs. app. and try to take care of my daughter at the same time. it seems like there is no hope for me I'm stressed out, tired, and at my ends. I will not put my mom in a nursing home since I saw what happen to my dad after one week there with him. I will not use any adult day care here in Lawton Okla, coz they seem to not watch their paients very well, I saw on the news here that one of them had lost a patient, by letting them walk out.
so if there is something out there that I'm over looking please some one let me know. I'm at my ends wit.

For all of us, we need to contact our legislators and ask them to fully fund the Lifespan Respite Care Act. They are authorized to spend over 70 million to offset the cost of inhome care for our loved ones or to pay us to care for our loved ones, but they've only designated a few million for this!

Cbiscut, you might want to check out all of the adult daycare programs. I understand that one was bad, but that doesn't mean that they are all bad. My loved one went to adult day care for awhile and it was a wonderful place. (It's in Michigan). They took great care of everyone. It was a non-profit organization and only $8 an hour.

How about Ohio?

Hey, just pay yourself out of your parents income.

You cannot legally "just pay yourself out of your parent's income"; you must have a caegiver's contract in order for Medicaid to deem it a legitimate expense.

But more to the point, I think that she is saying that her Mom's income is insufficient to cover the bills.

I'm wondering if you've considered a reverse mortgage (if your Mom or you own the house). That might be of some help.

Mass. is way ahead of many states on this. Since you have already provided care and want to go back and collect for the spend down for Medicaid, I'd see an estate attorney or elder attorney. You'll need advice down the road, anyway. But dealing with Medicaid is sticky, and spending down has to be done in the right manner. You deserve this, there's no doubt of that. But you need to be sure you go about it right. Every state is a little (or a lot) different in what they offer. You can also go directly to your state aging services (contact number online on the state Web sites), and ask for advice as to where to go. Good luck with this.
Carol

When my mother asked to move in I told her she would have to pay 300.00 towards expenses which gives her 400 for her spend money. Medicaid gives her 46.00 in food stamps. She also wanted additional long distance on the phone so told her she would have to pay 40.00 towards that. As my husbands hours have been cut since November. It is not much but it helps I spend at least 700 to 1000 a month on groceries. Ihave told medicaid about this and it is fine she should pay towards the expenses she would pay more if she lived by herself and Medicaid agreed.

If you have an agreement with your parent, it's no one else's business. You need to survive too! None of us do this for the money, for no amount can make up for what we have to deal with. It's a tough situation and we have to make do with what we can. The government should be grateful that we are keeping them home. It would cost them an untold amount to keep them in a nursing facility if they don't have the funds to pay for it themselves. People who aren't or haven't been in our situation, have no clue!!! It's good that we can talk to each other this way. We're the only ones that really know what it's like! Take care everyone, and remember, we are doing the right thing.

How about Georgia?We have gone financially under since i cannot work.We may loose everything!

I do live in Georgia work with your parent. If nothing else take the parent to social services is he/she makes only a small pension like mine does and than tell them they have to pay to live there have to pay any where else don't they?

Also, I had my mother open a checking account and my name is on it to and it is her burial fund she is allowed to have so much in there for burial and my name is on it so I don't have to jump thru hoops paying for it when the time comes

I asked everybody even my moms nurse and the only program here in the state of oklahoma is the advantage program and I've already been through that and I cancled it due to that it seems that they couldn't find the right caregivers to come to my house and help, I do get respite vouchers but when I reapply for them it takes about 3 -4 months before I get them again. and their only about $3-400.00 per 3 months. just depends on the amount of money the state gets for them and it seems like the ones who needs them the most get on the list first and I must be some where on the bottum of the list. plus my mom's income is about $1,513.00 a month from soc.sec. and we have house payments, plus utilitys to pay, by after that there is about $30-40.00 left for the rest of the month. can't do a reverse mortgage, coz first my name is on the deed, to keep the house from going into probate after she passes, plus there isn't enough equity in the house, my dad had refinanced the house back in 06 before he passed away so there is about $10,000 in equity. nobody will give 80% of the loan. the house has been appraised at about 100,000 and the loan is at 88,000 I'm already 2 months behind and now currently working with g.m.a.c mortgage on a 3 month trial loan modifcation, and hopefully by sept. they will lower our house payments or interest rates from 6% to something lower. the reason why I was 2 months behind was because I had to get our 2001 chrysler voyager mini van fixed since it was my dads and he didn't keep it up due to his illness befor he passed. I had to give back to the bank my car which I was making payments of 200.00 a month but since I quit working (could not afford no more) and the van is paid off. so now they sold the car for about 3500 and I owe another 5000 on the car plus other credit cards which I can no longer pay them either, I don't have any guys help to maintain the house, like ie fix the fence or trim trees or whatever, I have applied for soc. sec. dissability myself for depression, panic attacts,axnsiety, and it was disapproved so I had to get a soc.sec. lawyer to get it appealed, I just hope I can get it. I also need to find some school clothes for my daughter soon school arounf here starts about aug 20, she is getting tall and is just 9 years old and going into the 4th grade.

Neon,
I am going to prepay mom's funeral this summer. No hassle when the time comes.
Cbiscuit,
Do you have a trust? Everything is protected in a trust after 5 years from Medicaid. If it is in a Trust, do you need your name on the house? Go see an estate lawyer who knows what the law is in your state. It is worth the money. We did. The money from the sale of Mom's house went into a formal trust. It is what we use to pay for her care, room and board, extra health insurance and the things that she needs or just wants. When she is gone the rest goes very quickly to me, and if I have to, my brother. I am trying to get the terms changed since he does nothing. Good luck.

thats a good idea lovingdaughter, My mother is a control freak and I have no clue where the check book is LOL but I have the account number tucked away. for when the time comes my parents had no house no nothing just what me and my husband gave them sold most of it or gave it away when my mother came to live with me so its just what she has packed up in her room so there will be no need for any trust or anything like that. She is lucky she gets social security. Sounds terrible but I will be glad when this is all over I have been an adult since I was 7 and getting really tired I don't even know how to play and I take everything too serious if it wasn't for my son and husband I guess I would not have much of a life except work and even now there is too much of that. But I am learning

Brought Mom home from rehab on Friday. She's a handful! Won't sit still or listen. Has a harder time walking because the Parkinson's is progressing, and mild dementia has her forgetting from 1 second to the next. I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters that expect me to watch her 24/7, so that she doesn't fall again. You all know how impossible that is, especially if they forget what you tell them. Only 2 siblings came to see her after she got home, over the weekend. I picked up my sister at the airport Sunday morning, and hired an out of work CNA that I met at the nursing home. Her position just got cut, so she is willing to work for $8/hour, cash. I'm tired of asking the siblings for relief and getting excuses. My older sister is here for 3 weeks to help out and set everyone straight on how much I really do for Mom. I didn't spend any time with my husband this weekend, as I had to keep an eye on Mom most of the time. Luckily we live in the same house, with our apartments both on the ground floor. My cousin cut a doorway between our closets so that I have a quick entrance to Mom's space. My older sister is the one who suggested I hire the help and not discuss it with the others. When the cash runs dry, I will have them pay for the help they won't give. My son in law has just installed 2 cameras in Mom's, that are hooked to my laptop, so that I can keep an eye on her at night, and when I need to be in my apartment. My sister if footing the bill for all of it, because she lives so far away, and feels the need to contribute. They will give me a little more freedom when she is napping and at night. Thankfully, she sleeps from 10 to 12 hours/night! If you have siblings that won't help, forget about them and find someone who will. There are all kinds of healthcare people out of work and looking to get any kind of income they can. Ask around, someone will come along when you least expect it! Take care, and hang in there.

deefer12,
Good for you. I hare out 6 days a week from 4 to 6 hours a day. It gives me a life. and when the money is gone, we work with her ss and dad's army pension. Brother doesn't like it, too bad. I have already told my sister in law that there won't be any money left so don't look for it. Brother dear is of no help!!!!! I am right there with you. Good luck.
Linda