Caregivers Family

Elder Law: Keeping mom at home
By By Ronald Surabian/Elder Law Center
Thu Mar 20, 2008, 02:16 PM EDT
Malden -

Malden - Let’s face it: no one wants to go to a nursing home.
For elders who have supportive families, this is sometimes possible. Today I want to talk about something called Enhanced Group Foster Care. It is a program offered by the Commonwealth that will compensate family members for taking care of their mom or dad. It is aimed at children who either move in with their parent, or have their parent move in with them, instead of going to a nursing home.
The caregiver who accepts this responsibility will receive up to $50 per day, or about $18,000 per year for caring for their parent. As a bonus, this income is non-taxable under section 131 of the Internal Revenue Code, as qualified foster care payments. These payments are for 24-hour care of the senior, but the child can get a break from their caregiver duties for up to 14 days per year under the respite care program.
This would provide a break to the caregiver for a vacation. And, if the senior is willing, there are adult day care programs that provide care at a senior day care facility so that the child can have free time during the week to work, shop or do as they please, knowing that their parent is safe, and being taken care of.
Who Is Eligible
Elders, or disabled adult family members over the age of 16, that need assistance with three Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s), and are financially eligible for MassHealth (Medicaid in Massachusetts) are eligible. Activities of daily living are bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (this means from bed to wheelchair), ambulating, and eating. Elders who are wandering, verbally or physically abusive, resisting care, or have socially inappropriate or disruptive symptoms only need help with two activities of daily living to qualify. Elders who need less care can also be eligible for this program, however, their caregiver pay is reduced.
Who is Eligible To Be A Caregiver
The program pays family, or non-family caregivers to care for an elder or adult disabled family member over the age of 16. Spouses, and legal guardians are NOT eligible to be paid caregivers under this program. The most common caregivers are children and siblings.
I spoke with Linda Morreale-Steele, a registered nurse and program director for North Region of Caregiver Homes of Massachusetts. Caregiver Homes is an approved Adult Foster Care Program and provides services throughout Massachusetts.
“This program is all about choice,” she said. “It gives elders who could be in a nursing home an option that was previously unavailable.”
Caregiver Homes starts by assessing the elder and developing a care plan and maintaining contact through regular telephone calls and home visits. They also provide continuing education and training to the caregiver to stay current with the changing needs of the seniors.
The elder’s health status is also monitored by daily notes taken by the caregiver and entered into a computer program that connects to Caregiver Homes through the internet. These notes are monitored by an registered nurse and care manager on a daily basis.
When a family member is not available, Caregiver Homes recruits, and trains non-family members to provide care to the senior. For more information, call the placement coordinator for Caregiver Homes at (866) 797-2333.
This article gives general information and not specific advice on individual matters. Persons wanting individualized advice on matters discussed should contact an advisor experienced in those matters. To the extent this article provides information on legal matters, it is based on law in effect in Massachusetts on the date of posting (laws in effect in other states are often quite different).
Ronald H. Surabian is a CPA and attorney who works at the Elder Law Center in Saugus. He also holds Masters in accounting and a master’s degree in tax law. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
If you have any questions please call me at the Elder Law Center, One Essex Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781)233-4444. To view this or any prior article, please visit www.elderlawcenter.org



Comments (1)


malden senior
2008-03-20T18:31:53
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On the face of it this sounds great until you realize you must become a pauper (spending down or give away assets) get on Medicaid (with a wait for approval) apply asking for help from a agency (like Mystic Valley Elders) get on a waiting list and hope for a long awaited phone Call