I know I have gone over this over and over, and have read every article, called every organization and talked to hundreds of social workers but I want to be sure I am not missing something. I had to leave my job to care for my mom because no one was helping me at all. I tried to place her in adult day care but I did not care for the facility and at $75 a day or $1,500 a month, that only left her with $682. I could not work 40 hours a week and anything less than 40 hours was not worth me going to work after taxes and other withdraws from check. My question is does anyone know of anyway I can get some kind of income while caring for my mom in my home. We are both living off her monthly check so here it is near Christmas and I cant bu presents for my grandchildren, I can help my grandson in college or buy birthday presents for any of them. I cant have my Sunday dinners where I invite my 2 children and grandchildren over. I know you all know how expensive food is now and everything else. This may not mean much to most folks, but I miss some of my old life!
If anyone does come up with something, please let the rest of know?
This could take a lot of stress off.
Best,
Hap
Ted, I do belong to the NFCA, you don't even have to pay the dues if you can't afford them. They recently sent a 2011 Family caregiver toolkit and planner/calendar to me at no charge. Due to lack of time, even though now reduced to working part time, I barely have time to read their newsletters which I get electronically but I did contact them in the past when Pres. Obama was first elected and had a website asking people what changes were needed. I suggested to NFCA that they send an email out to members asking them to submit the same issue - that all states provide the same amount of funds to community care and that more funds be devoted to in home/community care vs nursing home placement. There have been lawsuits pending on this .
As I said, I am burned out but could muster enough energy if some organization would take this on. We are the silent suffering, yet in many cases we are saving the govt a lot of money. My mother would be eligible for medicaid coverage in a nursing home but from my experiences with stays their for rehab, I won't do it. It was even more stressful to me trying to oversee what went on in the nursing homes/assisted living than when I have her at home. But some don't have that choice. There should be choice, care for them at home and receive adequate funding or improve the monitoring of nursing homes and assisted living carefully to ensure adequate care
no use of her arms or legs. I placed her in a nursing home for 3 months for rehabilation and they made matters worse she feel out of her wheel chair while infront of the nurses station . Blew her knee out ,broke her nose and had a subdural brain bleed and in a coma for several weeks. I moved from Wisconsin to Rio Grand Valley and am 51 to help her as I am the only one who can and willing.
I was going through my own stuff lost 2 homes to forclousure and a buisness.On my way here got rammed on the back on Hwy 35 in Kansas ,had to leave my truck ,r.v. cargo trailer and have my harleys crated to harley dealer in Rio Grand .
I have been through the mill .....I was hired by a agency and get paid 7.25 per hour for 4 hours a day ??? I will probably loss my other home because I don't have the income to even pay my rent yet I am still here in Texas and work 16 hours a day .
I called Elderly care and aging ,they reffered me to a agency non-profit called Senor Companion Program to help me some ,but anything is better than no help and for this I am grateful:)
When someone had a need, a REAL need, a group of people would step up with time, money and materials for the person in need. There was no government entity and no bureaucrats. Just a handful of people wanting to be useful.
Times change.
I decided to split the difference, and pay myself $25.00/hour, so I do not look greedy to Probate when I hand in my annual accounting.
I became conservator January 2011, and I keep a very detailed journal.
YOU CAN BE PAID. Just go through the system and if mom has a probate attorney notify him/her and work it out IN WRITING. If she does not have one, hire one for her, and you can give him the retainer, out of HER check book since it is on "HER behalf."
Help is on the way...and you deserve it!
Some states (like MS) have it so that whatever is the homestead exemption is automatically excluded from MERP, so if the exemption is 75K and the house has an assessor value of 60K, MERP doesn't happen.
Another exemption is if the house is empty but still owned by the elder on Medicaid, then whomever pays for stuff on the house (like taxes, utilites, insurance, yard work, etc.) can let MERP know the amount and those $$ are deducted from the tally MERP has.
MERP is a legal process and has to go through the courts usually in probate court (I think it's this way in all states). Some states death laws have it so MERP is low on the payment system so MERP recovery is low. In TX, MERP is a class 7 claim so claims in category 1 - 6 that have to be paid off first, so MERP is low in TX. But still happens. WHile in other states, MERP places a lien on the property. Unfortuantely every state seems to put it's own spin on MERP as each state has it's own spin on death and estate laws. You really need to research what's what in your state, so that when the day comes you have an idea of what to do and within the time frame so that you can get the house transferred and titled to you or whomever in named in her will. Go buy yourself a nice little bottle of Prosecco, chill it a couple of days and read up on what your state's MERP program says and start your new year off with information for the future!