We live in Illinois and my mom is bed-bound and currently in a nursing facility. She is fairly young (62) but a total knee replacement and back surgery has affected her mobility greatly. We want to bring her home but are lost in terms of home health options. Right now she needs around the clock care. Any advice, wisdom, etc. would be ever so appreciated.
It is common nowadays for a person as young as 62 to go to a nursing home/long term care facility/skilled rehabilitation facility for physical therapy and occupational therapy after having a total knee or hip replacement, or back surgery. The person usually stays 30-60 days depending on how well they are progressing with the therapy. If the person is over age 65 and has Medicare, then Medicare pays a percentage of the first 100 days of care and therapy.
I agree with shakingoffdust. You need to let your Mom stay at the nursing facility especially if she is getting physical therapy and occupational therapy, which she needs if she recently had knee and/or back surgery.
If your Mom goes home, she will need to have someone take her to the hospital or rehabilitation center 3-5 days a week for physical and occupational therapy for several weeks. If your Mom goes home, you will need to rent a hospital bed for your Mom to use since your Mom is "bed-bound" along with putting a stool riser or handle bars on the toilet. Your mom most likely will not be able to use a tub, so she will need a walk-in shower with a stool to sit on while taking a shower, and someone to cook meals and bring them to her in bed, and so on and so on... So why not just let your Mom stay at a facility where she is getting nursing care 24 hours a day and where she is getting therapy instead of you having to drive her to and from therapy every day? And instead of you having to equip the house that she would be staying at with all of the equipment needed by someone who is disabled?
Medicaid will pay for a certain number of hours of home care, depending on the need, but would not pay for 24 hour home health as it would be cheaper for them to pay for the nursing facility.