Could a home health aid help me with with paying my bills?
Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, is a possible precursor to dementia. This means that you have a higher risk of developing a dementia, perhaps Alzheimer's disease, than other people. It also means that you have impaired short term memory now and some deficits in your ability to make good decisions. You probably should get some help with bill paying and managing your money.
Because of your difficulty making good decisions, you are incredibly vulnerable to poor suggestions from other people. I would not recommend a home health aide to make financial decisions for you. You might ask one to put your bills in order by date they should be paid, or to file those you have paid. Even that has the possibility of fraud and deceit because this person would get to see your account numbers and bank balance.
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and ask if they have a financial assistance program. Sometimes AAA has people who come out as a volunteer and assist with bill paying. If you have children, this is something they can assist you with.
Those who love you and people in your immediate family need to know that you have higher risk of dementia, should limit your driving, and need help with managing finances, and may already be vulnerable to influence from people who are unwise or unscrupulous. You should not be in this alone; let your family assist you, as you are assisting them.
The American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM) www.aadmm.com is a national non-profit organization of members dedicated to the field of daily money management. These professionals provide personal financial/bookkeeping services to senior citizens, the disabled, busy professionals and others. On their website, there is a link to find a qualified Daily Money Manager in your area. There are many Daily Money Managers across the U.S. and Canada.
