It's possible, depending on the total amount of your wife's disability benefit plus your retirement income, and on the amount of your assets other than the value of your home. If your joint income and assets are low enough, your wife might qualify for a state-run program where you live, which can provide some payment directly to your wife for care in the home. She can then use this money to pay you. Even if your wife qualifies for such a program, the payments are not great -- but they can certainly help.

These payments work through a state program usually run through your state's Medicaid program. It's called Cash and Counseling or something similar (the names are different in some states). If your wife qualifies for home care under Medicaid, Medicaid would normally provide that care through a certified home care agency. But this special program directly pays the person needing care the same amount Medicaid would pay an aide from a home care agency. If she qualified, your wife could spend these funds on you or anyone else she chooses to take care of her. She can also use some of the money to make home improvements for safety or comfort, or to buy personal care items. Some states with these programs offer it only to people who qualify for Medicaid under the state's rules. Other states allow people into the program even if they have slightly too much in income or assets to qualify for Medicaid.

To learn more about these cash assistance programs -- not all states have them -- go to the page on this site called How to Get Paid for Being Your Parent's Caregiver. You can help your wife apply for Cash and Counseling or similar state cash assistance program, if your state has one, at a local Medicaid office. To find the local Medicaid office near you, contact the Eldercare Locator by phone toll-free at 800-677-1116, or online you can go to any search engine and type in "Medicaid" and the name of your state.