Could a home health aid help me with with paying my bills?

Who-me? asked...

My neurologist diagnosed me with MCI, I am 59yr old. She did not tell med which type i had but suggested to my ex-husband that i should limit driving. I have always done the banking for mom who is 81 and myself. I have care for her meds and Dr. visits also. I was born with spina bifida and scoliosis. For my ex-husbands benefit (who cooks and grocery shops for mom(next door) and me. I want him to know what might lay ahead as i am now bouncing checks my and moms account. Could a home health aid on the Medicaid/medicare Advantage program thru DHS here in Okla help me with figuring bills and such now? My ex takes care of me, mom and my brother who lives with mom next door. He has had 2 massive heart attacks and lives with mom. He needs compensated for all he does but I'm sure he is worried about the possibility of my MCI being amnesiac. Can my neurologist tell me what type now that i have read up on mci. One of course is a terminal condition and the other i am now sure. Is it important for me or my ex to know?

Expert Answer

Kay Paggi, GCM, LPC, CGC, MA, is in private practice as a geriatric care manager and is on the advisory board for the Emeritus Program at Richland College. She has worked with seniors for nearly 20 years as a licensed professional counselor, certified gerontological counselor, and certified geriatric care manager.

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.