Financial Assistance Options for Senior Home Care

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Paying for Home Care: Potential Sources of Financial Assistance in Anchorage, AK

Home care is often the most financially reasonable option for seniors. However, hiring a caregiver is still an expense that families have to work into their budgets, and you may be facing serious worries of your own if you’re currently missing work to provide care for your senior loved one. While there’s no easy answer as to how to pay for your loved one’s care, you do have alternatives. Explore these potential financial assistance options for home care to find one, or several, that fit your family’s needs.

Look into Paid Employee Leave

Right now, your preference may be to handle the majority of your loved one’s care, which is common after a recent illness or surgery that leaves your loved one in need of assistance with the hope of regaining independence. In this type of situation, you may be eligible for paid time off from work through a family leave program. Talk to your employer about your current situation to find out if compensation is available to help you make it through several weeks of time off from work.

Caring for a senior loved one can be rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming for family caregivers who have other responsibilities they need to focus on. For these families, the perfect solution is respite care. Anchorage families rely on our caregivers whenever they need time to rest, work, run errands, and even go on vacation.

Use Your Loved One’s Health Insurance

Your loved one’s insurance policy may cover home care. While some health insurance companies pay family members, you may need to hire an outside caregiver if your loved one’s policy doesn’t. You may also be able to maximize health insurance benefits by using both professional caregivers and family members. Read through the policy carefully to identify exactly how much home care is covered and what you must do to make sure everyone is paid.

Check Government Support Programs

Medicaid and other types of government support programs also cover home care for many people. With a program such as Medicaid, your loved one may need to meet specific eligibility requirements, such as being of a certain age and having a limited income. There may also be a brief waiting period while the application is reviewed. However, the effort is worth it if your loved one can have home care covered through one of these types of programs.

Although it may be challenging to find reliable, highly rated elder care, Anchorage, AK, families can turn to Home Care Assistance. Our respite and live-in caregivers are expertly trained to assist seniors with a wide array of important tasks, including cooking, bathing, light housekeeping, and exercise.

Offset Costs with Volunteers

You can also seek volunteer support to make the cost of home care more manageable. Volunteers can step in to watch your loved one while you work, or you could sign your loved one up for a meal delivery program for seniors. However, keep in mind that many volunteers prefer not to stay overnight, and they can be unreliable. For this reason, you’ll still need to arrange for professional home care services to fill any gaps in care.

Draft a Family Payment Contract

You may also be able to talk to your family members about helping you pay for home care. This option works best if you have several siblings who can all pitch in to provide your parent with the best care possible. To keep things from taking a bad turn, make sure to have everyone put their commitments in writing. Having a family contract in place keeps everyone responsible for their share of the payments.

One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide home care. Anchorage families can turn to Home Care Assistance for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24-hour live-in care for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties. If your loved one needs help with the challenges of aging, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (907) 770-0907.

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