Hello to Frustrated & To All Who Have Parents getting to that age when they can't stay completely independent forever.......I have some hands on experience & knowledge HELP for anyone's parents
who do NOT have that $3000-$6000 per month to move into places for Seniors that begin at the
"Independent Living" stage and progress through to the "Totally Dependent 24/7 stage"
My "helpful" knowledge is for anyone whose parents do NOT have any real "Assets" financially and
who are on BOTH Medicare & Medicaid. Each State has charge over their State's Medicaid Program.
Accessed through the Dept. of Social Services (local branch). If, your parents live now in a different
State than you do, their Medicaid would simply Transfer States, to whatever State you live in, if you
are moving them to live closer to where you live, in your State.
***THE KEY*** to getting their Medicaid to "Transfer" to your State smoothly, without any lapse in
coverage days, is to contact your local Dep't. of Social Services~~Medicaid Dep't Worker! He or she
will be able to give you the "step by step" information which your State's Medicaid needs from you
in order to be able to pick your parents up on the same date they will be arriving in your State. It
is most helpful and beneficial to you, to have the **Contact Info.** on your parents Current Medicaid
Worker, in the State in which your parents now live! Your parents Current Medicaid Worker, will bend
over backwards to Help You! As every Social Worker is carrying already an Overload of Case Files/Clients!
Just reducing their case load by one or two cases, is a very welcomed "break" for them! So you will find that they will *Expedite* all necessary paperwork on your and your parent(s) behalf!
**It gets even better from here!** All 50 States have a *Program*, which, if you would like to keep your parent(s) with you, living in your home....but the *Reason* why you cannot is because it does take Both
of you working, in order to provide financially for the needs of your own immediate family members, already within your present household! This *Program* that all 50 States has, addresses and solves this directly! In NC, this State "Titles" or "Calls/Names" this particular *Program*~~~"The CAP Program" or just "CAP". However, each individual State calls their/this *Program* by a different Name of their choosing.
You, the adult child of the parent(s) with Medicaid, simply contact all of the "Home Health" Agency's in your local and immediate surrounding areas. Unless you already have a "CNA" license...you will need to find an Agency which also employs some non-CNA's for some of their eligible clients whose Doctor states in his/her paperwork, that the parent(s) does not need or require a licensed CNA. They simply need help with some basic things such as being reminded to take their meds at the right time. Help with meal preparations and cleaning up afterwards. Help with their laundry only, not the entire household's laundry. As well as with running their errands, (groceries for them, bank, bill paying, mail letters/bill payments out, picking up prescriptions and taking them to their doctor appointments, etc.). Medicaid's Main Requirement for the elderly person who's needing the home health care, is that the elderly person needs assistance "Bathing"! This can be in the form of simply a daily "touch-up sponge bath." Or, just helping them into and out of the tub/shower.
To *Expedite* this, find a Primary Care Dr. near you and set up a new patient appointment for your parent(s) for the very first day they arrive there with you, or the very next day. Let the doctor know that you are wanting to get their Medicaid to pay for Home Health in the home. Ask the doctor if he can justify as many *hours* as he or she possibly can approve them for!!! And to be sure to state that they WILL need help DAILY with at least a "sponge bath!" (The most hours that NC did back when we took care of my mom living in our home for 10 years, was for 36 hours! We moved for my husband to get work, to Ohio for 2 1/2 yrs. and the most amount of hours at that time Ohio Medicaid would approve for was for just 20 hrs.)!!! So I simply picked up one additional client that was really easy for those additional 15 hours or so. We'd play cards, games, I'd read to her and we'd do gardening. So I didn't really mind, it gave me a nice break to be able to get out of the house for awhile each week! Medicaid pays the Home Health Agency and the Home Health Agency pays you.
Wrap-Up......IF.....your parent(s) has Medicaid......
1) Check with your local Dept. of Social Services Medicaid Worker, to ask what your particular State calls their Medicaid Program that pays **A Family Member** for in Home Health Care for helping them to do "Basic Daily Care Needs?"
2) Get your parents *Contact Info* of their Current Medicaid Worker, in the State they live in now.
3) Get your parents *Contact Info* of their Current Primary Care Dr., in the State they live now, (including Fax # of both the doctor and their Medicaid Worker)!
4) Contact Medicaid Worker in the State you reside and let him/her know of your plans to move parent(s) to your City, State and you need info., of what all you need to do to help ensure the transfer of their Medicaid goes through without any "lapses in coverage".
5) Schedule a *New Patient(s)" appointment with the Primary Care doctor of your choice for either the same day as arrival or that very next day!
6) At Medicaid worker appointment, give that worker all contact info of parent(s) Medicaid worker in the State they are moving out of. Ask what name of Medicaid Home Health Basic Daily Living help is called?
7) At new Doctor's appointment, give him the contact info of their doctor in the State they moved and sign a release form to send records to this new doctor.
a) Emphasize you need as many hours close to *Maximum allowed hours* for your State.
b) That the Most Important Need you need him/her to sign off on is for needing help with "Bathing/Sponge Bath's"!!!
Sure hope that this info., is useful to someone out there and their parent(s), grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, etc. family member of yours!!!
Oh, BTW.....my mom passed away in her sleep one morning.....She was 92 yrs. old.
Tirtzah