Is home health care part of the Medicaid waiver program SOURCE?

Mocha asked...

Is it possible to get home health care aid when the senior is in a personal care home through the Medicaid waiver program SOURCE? Shouldn't there be a care manager with this program as well?

Expert Answer

Yes, home health care is a fundamental part of the SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) program. The specific rules of the SOURCE program are slightly different in each state that has it. But the main purpose of SOURCE is to help frail seniors live at home or in a personal care or assisted living facility rather than in a nursing home, and home health care is usually a key part of the program.

The amount of individual home health care visits a person gets depends on several things. First, the SOURCE program does an assessment of the senior's needs. Then a care plan is designed to take care of medical care and monitoring, personal care, and help with the activities of daily living. The services offered can include some combination of residence in a personal care facility, home health care aides, and adult day care, as well as access to medical care.

If a senior is living in a personal care home, the SOURCE assessment may have initially determined that no visits by outside home health care aides were needed, believing that staff at the home could take care of all the senior's needs. But assessments can be wrong, and needs can change. The senior you're concerned about might now need more personal assistance than the personal care home can provide. There is a care manager responsible for the care of each person in the SOURCE program. So, if you think a change needs to be made in the senior's care plan, contact the SOURCE program and ask that a new assessment be made, and that the care plan be changed to include personal home care visits.