PROFESSIONAL IN-HOME CARE
• Veteran’ s benefits:
The Veteran’ s Administration( VA) may be able to cover or provide in-home care services to eligible veterans or dependents. If you or your partner / family member served in the military, talk to the VA service officer in your area about your benefits, what additional services you may be eligible for and the application process.
• Government-supported programs:
In the United States, the National Family Caregiver Support Program funds an array of programs to support older adults and their family care partners. Many states and counties will use these funds to support“ respite” or“ in-home aide” programs, which often provide a few hours per week of in-home care. Sometimes these programs have waiting lists, depending on their funding and availability at any given time. They may also have eligibility criteria based on care needs, income and whether or not someone has a family care partner. States or counties may also offer“ respite vouchers” where you may qualify for a one-time voucher to help pay for respite care services. You can contact your local Department / Council on Aging, Senior Center, Department of Social Services and / or Area Agency on Aging to see what may be available in your area.
• Nonprofit organizations:
If you or your loved one lives with a specific medical diagnosis, there may be nonprofit organizations that offer in-home care programs or funding. These are not extremely common and may take some research to find them. They often have eligibility criteria around income or level of care needs. Additionally, they are often limited( by amount of respite support offered and / or timeframe to use it by) and may have strict criteria for how the funds can be used. CurePSP is proud to offer the Quality of Life Respite Grant- learn more by visiting www. psp. org / ineedsupport / respitegrant
While not in-home care, adult day care centers can also be an excellent option for an additional layer of care for families. Adult day care are centers where a person will go for a half-day or whole day one to five times per week for social engagement activities, meals and exercise. Some adult day care centers are able to offer medical or personal care, as well as transportation. Adult day care is often less expensive, for the same number of hours, compared to professional in-home care. Many people will utilize a combination of adult day care and in-home care to provide them with the comprehensive care and respite they need.
Step 5: Explore the options available in your area. Where do I start?
If you are looking for an in-home care agency, you may find that there are a lot or very few, depending on where you live. There are small privately-owned agencies and there are franchises of nationwide agencies.
Utilize different resources at your disposable to explore options:
• Ask family, friends, support group members or your religious / spiritual community if they have had a positive experience with certain agencies or caregivers.
• Ask your doctor, social worker or other members of your healthcare team if they could suggest inhome care agencies with strong reputations.
• Sometimes people will use care locator websites, examples of which can be found at the end of this resource. Be aware that privately-paid-for care locators may not always represent a variety of objective opinions or reviews.
• Your local senior center or Area Agency on Aging or Department on Aging may maintain a list of local in-home care agencies and / or independent caregivers.