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I haven’t heard very encouraging things about a member of the family being paid enough to be a caregiver to actually make a living. I’ve read the money comes out of the person’ s account, so if you stand to inherit money, you’ll inherit less. I am my husband’s caregiver, and I seem to remember when I checked it out once, I would have gotten something like $40 a week.
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www.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/121
This is the state of Louisiana's website that discusses Medicaid, how to qualify and how to apply. It talks about various programs to keep people in their home, adult day care options, etc.
For information about any of these programs or to apply for services, call the Louisiana Options in Long Term Care Hotline at 1.877.456.1146 (TDD: 1.877.544.9544). You can call Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The call is free.
Many of the programs have a waiting list. None of the programs is set up to pay for 24 hour care at home.
If your mother is the widow of a veteran, she may qualify for assistance if she is low income from the VA - you can read about the programs on this website or check out va.gov.
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Dawn - I’m NOLA area and the first thing I’d suggest is to find out IF your mom is considered out of Lafayette OR Opelousas service area. It’s likely going to make a difference as to what programs / options are. Like if she’s Lafayette, they have PACE and I’d bet that’s the program she’d need to be evaluated for. PACE is the viewed as a good model of how to provide care to at need elderly and allow them to remain in their home yet be cost efficient. It allows them to keep thier income as still at home. They have to be “duals” for PACE (as services get billed to both), so she would need to be on both Medicare and Medicaid. There is a PACE close by us (benson center) in NOLA that is pretty awesome.

State of LA is strapped financially, as the Jindal years for tax & business decisions have come home to roost. Most social service programs have existing waiting lists. So it’s good you are starting to look into this sooner rather than later. If your hoping there will be a state program that will pay you a living wage to full time caregive for your parent it’s NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Most caregiving is done by family for free & out of a sense of familial duty. If your mom has assets & income, she can draw up a done by an attorney caregiver contract between her & you for you to be paid to be her caregiver at whatever rates are reasonable for your community standards. So. Louisiana is pretty low wages, so probably close to minimum wage, maybe $10 hr. Now for BR & NOLA caregiver wages can be more - $18 / $20 hr. Caregiver contract needs to be totally above board legit contract with taxes, fica, etc as otherwise Medicaid will view the $ paid by mom to you as gifting. Gifting not allowed by Medicaid and will keep her from being eligible for Medicaid paid programs till gifting penalty passed. Often families do caregiver contracts as a way get through their parents assets “Spend down” quicker to get parent to the asset level needed for Medicaid. The info in the state website that GuestShoppe posted has the $ amount on assets pretty clearly indicated. 

Your still quite young, right? In your 30’s?
If so, quitting a full time job for an unknown period of time during your better working years , quitting a job that perhaps has a 401k, solid benefits, decent health insurance to caregive at minimum wage with no benefits probably not a wise move. Unless your hubs has a huge income so $$$ never an issue & your spending time away on mom not an issue as well.
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