The American population is getting older and there are more people who need home health care than workers to take care of them. Additionally, many seniors don’t feel comfortable having a stranger in their homes. This could cause problems for seniors who need personal care in order to live independently. For example, an older person on a waiting list for home health care might struggle to care for themselves or put unnecessary strain on their adult children. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem that is working for many families today.
Paid Family Care
Adult children often want to help their parents but their time is limited due to their own family obligations. They simply cannot afford to care for their parents or grandparents on a full-time basis. Medicare has created a solution to this problem. With the consumer directed personal assistance program, family members and even close friends can get paid to take care of their loved ones.
Peace of Mind
Stories in the news about seniors who get injured or stolen from by their agency caregivers can haunt loved ones as they go about their daily lives. Since everyone needs a source of income to pay their own bills, it’s not easy for someone to take time off to care for a parent or other relative. This program gives adult children and other loved ones peace of mind. Knowing there aren’t strangers in their loved one’s home who could take advantage of them or even hurt them could make the job worth it, even if it results in lower pay than they earn at their full-time job.
There are limitations in this program and it’s important to know them before resigning. For example, caregivers can only get paid for the number of hours approved by Medicare. For some seniors, this could mean their love one gets paid for up to 60 hours a week. For others, 20 hours or less. Of course, family members don’t sign up for this program for the money. They do it so they can be sure their parent, grandparent or other relative is cared for in a way that honors them and allows them to remain in their own home as long as possible.