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Can I get paid to be a family caregiver?

10/7/2014

6 Comments

 
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This article has some conversation starters that you can use in your family before an aging parent needs care. One option not discussed is moving your aging parent into your home and charging them room and board. Please talk to an elder law attorney who can draft a rental agreement, as well as help with changes to trusts or powers of attorney.    

According to the Caregiver Action Network; Each year more Americans are caring for a loved one with a chronic condition, disability, or the frailties of old age. There are as many as 90 million family caregivers in the U.S. today. Two out of every 5 adults are family caregivers.  39% of all adult Americans are caring for a loved one who is sick or disabled – up from 30% in 2010. Family caregivers are the backbone of the Nation’s long-term care system. According to a 2011 AARP study, family caregivers provide $450 billion worth of unpaid care each year. That’s more than total Medicaid funding, and twice as much as homecare and nursing home services combined.

The economic impact of being a family caregiver hit home with me several years ago when I stopped working to care for my mother. Not only did I lose income, I also lost social security contributions that could have been accruing. Unfortunately, my mother was not in a position to financially reimburse me.  

The burden that caregiving families are facing is overwhelming and more needs to be done to help financially support caregivers.  Consider sharing your story with your legislative representatives so they understand the role of caregivers and the families they represent, or leave a comment here and I will forward your comments to the right government leaders.


Take care and stay healthy,
Debbie Carroll
Founder, The Senior Sage


6 Comments
Janet Snyder
10/7/2014 10:58:54 am

Medicare Part A pays 100% for a beneficiary in either home hospice with a spouse or family member or in a hospice facility. Hospice care is outstanding. It does seem fair that if a person isn't ready for hospice, that a family member would care for them in their home, with either a rental agreement or siblings sharing the cost for care. For military veterans, spouses, and surviving spouses, there is the Aid & Attendance benefit which can be applied for with the VA. If qualifications are met, the beneficiary can use the funds to pay a family member or hire a CNA to assist.

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The Senior Sage link
10/7/2014 02:13:08 pm

Janet, at the time my mom didn't qualify for hospice care. I absolutely agree with you that hospice is outstanding! As far as Aid & Attendance she didn't serve during the period covered so we weren't able to take advantage of the benefit. More needs to be done legislatively that helps all caregivers and their families.

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Janet Snyder
10/7/2014 11:03:18 pm

What exactly would you like the proposed legislation to say ? It needs to be clear and specific, before we can ask our Members of Congress to introduce a bill about it. Let's brainstorm on this site with others who would like to see caregiver assistance. What exactly do you want ?

The Senior Sage link
10/8/2014 09:20:19 am

Here is a great link from the National Alliance for Caregiving which will help you with legislative updates. http://www.caregiving.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/11/LegislativeUpdateConference_rev.pdf

I ABSOLUTELY support the work they are doing on a national and international level! I particularly support FAMILY Act which needs to be moved from an education bill to a bill under immediate consideration. I also support The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act under consideration in Oklahoma and Hawaii. Adoption for this bill needs to be nationwide.

Statewide I support programs that help caregiving families with respite care that is available year round and not just once or twice a year.

Finally, family caregivers should be able to be paid by long term care insurance. For example, In the state of Illinois they don't allow a family member to be financially reimbursed, even if a person is a family caregiver and is providing care for a family member who has long term care insurance.

As stated earlier in the article, family caregivers are the backbone of the Nation's long term care system and more has to be done to support them!

Reply
Jeanne Gross
10/8/2014 10:17:23 am

I live in Illinois and found-out that options for respite care are extremely limited. As primary caregiver for a husband who is 100% disabled & suffers from Parkinson's Disease, I learned that I do not qualify for any financial assistance for respite care. Evidently my income does not allow me to receive respite care benefits. At the time when I 1st looked into respite care assistance, I was working a full-time job & I was receiving Social Security Benefits since at age 68 I had reached retirement age. I no longer have a job so my income comes solely from my SS benefits. I was so discouraged by the lack of respite care support here in ILLINOIS that I stopped looking into this any further.

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The Senior Sage link
10/8/2014 04:27:23 pm

Jeanne, my heart goes out to you. Please talk to your elected officials. Share your story and keep sharing your story until someone understands and listens. It is only through sharing our stories that you, and millions of others in our situation, can change the way caregiving is perceived.

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    Debbie Carroll is the Founder of The Senior Sage and knows first hand what it's like to be a caregiver.


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