How do I find more affordable home care?
My mom is 80 years old, has only Social Security and a little money stashed away for first month of a nursing home. She has a home health agency coming now to my home with physical therapy and an licensed nurse practitioner who gives her showers. This will stop in a month because Medicare believes they can make her more independent in the shower, which she is not safe to do. Mom does well with most areas of the front bathing although she cannot get in and out of the shower alone. Most agencies I have contacted want $45.00 an hour per shower, with a minimum of 2 hours. Even the Council on Aging wants $40.00 per hour. Mom has a problem with my bathing her private areas she can't reach and she has no problem with someone hired to do this. I have a problem with the rates charged. Is there any solution?
Expert Answer
What a complicated issue! Having trouble finding affordable in-home care seems to be an issue for you as well as the government. The issue is that pay is commensurate with getting a trained, kind and loving person to come to your home to perform a simple task. Sounds easy enough, but it takes finding the person, thoroughly screening them, training them, and then scheduling that person to go to a multitude of homes because he/she needs to work 40 hours to make a living wage. Since the caregiver is only paid for the hours worked (the agency is only reimbursed for the hours worked as well), there have to be lots of homes where he/she works for just an hour or so. And who pays for the travel time in between? Thus the cost escalates to cover the time NOT working and not reimbursed. More information than you wanted, I am certain. However, to answer your question: agencies that employee and thus meet the situation I have described above will be expensive. If your mother is income eligible for county services, she should be able to receive them for free or a VERY reduced rate. Call the council on Aging again and ask for assistance with payment for her services, and see if she meets the criteria.