Question
Help! I don't know where to start. My mother, aged 61, who has had peripheral neuropathy (with an open wound) for years, was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 months ago. She has finished chemo, which exacerbated her foot ulcer severely, but wound up in the hospital for a month with a MRSA infection in her bone. She is now home, for the time being, but goes back in for surgery (mastectomy) this week. She has been instructed not to walk at all, save getting to the restroom. My best friend and I are helping with her care, but are overwhelmed, as now Mom has lost her job. We've applied for Medicaid, but are still awaiting determination. She has a mortgage, huge medical bills and credit card debt, with no savings to her name. With no income, what can I do to help her?
— Caring.com Community Member, hopeful1
Answer
Expert Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
You've begun with the right place in applying for Medicaid, which can cover almost all of your mother's medical expenses. If she has no savings or income, she can qualify even if she owns her home.
For financial help, she can apply for state unemployment insurance. If her health continues to prevent her from doing any work, she can also apply for Social Security disability benefits. She can qualify for these benefits if she cannot now do any gainful work but she has worked for 10 years total during her lifetime. If she remains disabled and cannot work, she may also apply for Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) at the same office where she applied for Medicaid.
If your mother qualifies for Social Security disability benefits and remains disabled for two years, she will also become eligible for Medicare coverage of her medical bills (even though she won't yet be age 65).
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