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I took my 83 yr old mother to her hair dresser a few days ago, and a woman who works there commented "that I should look into social security paying me, for taking care of my parents." She claims she has a neighbor who was paid by the feds, in order to take care of her elderly parents. The hair dresser lady said, "that the Federal Government would rather pay you; to take care of your parents, then to run up medicare charges for nursing home fees."
This doesn't seem possible to me, so I thought I would ask the experts here? I live in north east IL, if that plays into the equation with social security? As as side note, I have been taking care of my parents full time since 2006. My mom is 83, and my dad is 84. I had to quite my job in 2006 into order to care for them full time.
Any input on the matter is appreciated!
Thanks,
Bill

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Benefits for Caregivers
Although the Social Security Act provides benefits for many circumstances, it does not provide funding of benefits for caregivers of elderly recipients, not even when the caregiver is the adult child of the beneficiary. Representatives of the Social Security Administration suggest that you contact social services agencies in your community if you need assistance in finding resources that make it possible for you to care for your elderly parent.




Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income, although administered through the SSA, is not paid with Social Security taxes. Funding for SSI comes from U.S. Treasury general funds. SSI makes payments to low-income people with few resources, who are 65 or older, blind or disabled. If your parent qualifies for SSI benefits, which are paid in addition to Social Security benefits in specific circumstances, this may provide an income source that would allow you to properly care for your elderly parent.
SSI Income and Resource Limits
SSI income limits are based partially on your state of residence. In each state, the income level fluctuates from year to year, and the SSA sets the limit. Your elderly parent may qualify for SSI if his income and resources fall below prescribed levels. For purposes of qualifying for SSI, the agency counts real estate, bank accounts, cash, stocks and bonds as resources. Resources are limited to $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Your parent's home, life insurance valued at $1,500 or less in most cases, your parent's vehicle; burial plots for your parent and immediate family; and $1,500 in burial funds for your parent are not counted against your parent's resource total
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"the Federal Government would rather pay you; to take care of your parents, then to run up medicare charges for nursing home fees."

Oh if only that were true!!! It should be - and perhaps one day it will be.

But in truth most caregivers take on their parents care for no compensation, and in fact spend a good deal of their own funds making sure our parents have what they need. Some of us quit our jobs, lose our insurance, and end up impoverished taking care of our elders.

Make the calls to your counties DFCS or Aging Agency - find out what is available. Perhaps Meals on Wheels would save some money if Mom qualifies, or food stamps - every little bit helps, and you won't know if you don't ask.
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Hi BillS72,

Thank you for submitting this question on our website. We appreciate your involvement in our caregiving community.

There are two great article written by AgingCare.com Editor’s that were already posted in our community. We thought this might answer your caregiving question.

LINK:
“10 Government Programs You Can Access for Your Elderly Parents.”
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/10-Government-Programs-Caregivers-Can-Access-for-Their-Elderly-Parents-120513.htm

and

“How Can I Get Paid for taking Care of My Elderly Parents?”
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-get-paid-for-being-a-caregiver-135476.htm


We hope this helps. Please let us know if you need anything else and we look forward to seeing more questions and discussions from you.


Thank you,
Karie H.
The AgingCare.com Team
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Mariesmom & Karie,
Thanks for the replies to my post! I will look into the posted links.
Regards,
BillS72
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What resources are available for older women taking care of their chronically ill husbands?
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My 83 mother lives with my family and she gets Social Security. Can I get money for being a caretaker?
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I feel social security department should pay for elderly care. Giving them back what really do to them. You pay in taxes all your life and when you die you get a $250.00 check from social security office. Now that is a shame!
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Social Security is for retired seniors who have paid into the system. The majority of retirees get back more in their pension than they did paying into the system. Using Social Security for elderly care would deplete further the already low funds. What needs to be done is for the government to initiate laws to keep elder care affordable for everyone.
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I have a friend who I go and take care of. He has a tube in stomach from cancer, he need to be put on and machine everynight in order to feed. he has a dog and cat that I also make sure are feed., once he is set up for evening I go home and go back every day, Weekend I stay with him., and take him out of house. So I was wondering if Scocial Security will give me any thing and if so how do I go about it.
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There actually is a program. It is called IHSS. You can find info about it through the health and human services agency.
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I moved from California to Florida to help my mother who is 94. I am 69 and on SSI. She can no longer drive, almost blind, hears poorly, and needs help for almost all aspects of her life. I am a retired nurse and was going back to work but can't due to her needs. Is there anyway I can get monetary assistance?
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Usually one asks their own parent to pay the salary to help with their needs. If that is feasible you would need to draw up a written contract saying how many hours and the hourly rate.

If your parent is on Medicaid, sorry but Medicaid won't pay a relative for home care as it is less expensive for said parent to be placed in a nursing home then pay 3 shifts of 8 hours each or 2 shifts of 12 hours each for around the clock care.

It would be great if there were funds to pay every grown child or grandchild who is a Caregiver for their parents/grandparents, but where would all that money come from? It would mean raising all our payroll taxes, income taxes, sale taxes and property taxes to sky high levels.
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Thanks for the explanations - Social Security, SSI, Medicare and Medicaid are all separate programs. Social Security is plenty occupied with the issue of pension income and doesn't need the complications of Medicaid. The whole issue of medical care involves all the people, not just the elderly and needs to be tackled on that basis. We really cannot afford to alienate younger people who are unable to get medical care by making this all about seniors.
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can a person on Social Security be a caretaker for someone
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KANDISUNSHINE, why not? What is your concern?
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We live in California. My mother-in-law, who had never worked outside the home, got a minimal SSecurity benefit from her husband's account, and then SSI on her own.When she was living with us during her last illness, SSI paid for a daytime caretaker. They had a contract with an agency, we had to work with the agency to get the caretaker we wanted,I don't believe that we ourselves were not eligible for this, but then my husband and I both worked, so we needed an additional person. . What they paid was not very much.
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I might add that I recall when the the welfare agencies (not sure what levels were involved in this) considered the family as having the primary responsibility for elder care. They would bill the family for care provided.
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If your parent is on Medicaid, Medicaid will pay for you caring for your parent(s) after you take a caregiver (Medicaid approved) class. Some home care companies can provide you with the training. I believe it's about a week long. Then Medicaid will pay you but only for approximately 8 hours per day....not 24/7. It is better than nothing. I tried to take my mom home with Dementia and was going to do this but she is too difficult for me to handle with her psychosis and hallucinations. Good luck to you.
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Please note that Medicaid is different in each State.... each State has their own rules, regulations, and programs. What is offered in one State may not be offered in others. Plus if programs are available, there could be a long waiting list. Only a handful of States will pay a caregiver.... some will only pay if the caregiver lives elsewhere and not with the elder they are caring. Some States might send in a Caregiver from an Agency for a few hours each day.
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Public assistance turned us down, my mom is 88 dementia patient, only income is medicare, mines medicare, they never called and cancelled usb/c they said we did not apply, wrong we waited for the telephone to ring we need financial assistance, I have foot surgery next month on other foot and I need to pay someone to care for my mother
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can the Federal Government help pay for help to aid my mother?
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Barbara, the Federal government and State government offer Medicaid to those elders who are below the poverty level. From a previous post it sounds like you tried to have your Mom apply but was turned down.

Sounds like you would need to look outside of the government coffers to find someone to take care of your Mom while you have foot surgery.... other relatives, friends, church, and try your local council on aging for suggestions.
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I heard that if you have an elderly parent at home and are unemployed or under employed, you can qualify for the new "Charmagne Card" in New York City. It was the brain-child of the first lady of the city, Charmagne McCray (Mayor DeBlasio's wife). It entitles poor city residents (usually minorities) to a free cell phone with 350 minutes a month, a free laptop (value up to $ 399.), free Medicaid, a monthly allowance, foodstamps, and free prescriptions. This enables the adult children of seniors on Medicare to help care for their elderly parents and keep them at home.
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Madge, if you could find press information on that it would be helpful, as I cannot find anything about Mayor de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray, and here I am a researcher. I would really appreciate that :)

The Federal government already offers free telephone service to those who cannot afford a telephone, this was placed into service by President Ronald Reagan back in the 1980's.
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In Arizona, if a parent or spouse is on Medicaid, there is money from Medicaid for in home care, but it amounts to about 20 hours/week. My Dad could be placed in a Memory Care facility and they would cover that fee fully, but to keep him home, we would only get 20 hours/week. Also, IF mom was married to a veteran who had served just one day in an authorized war, there is a benefit called AID and ATTENDANCE that can be applied for. We are doing that now for my Mom. It comes to $1149/mo...paid directly to the person for the rest of their lives, and can be used for either help with agency payment or for caregivers coming into the home. There are some qualifications in terms of the person needing help with self care daily OR having a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's or other condition that affects their mental abilities. So, it doesn't work for someone basically healthy and able to be responsible for their own daily physical care, unless they are homebound ....meaning, basically, unable to drive or other wise ambulate outside their home, in order to go shopping for food etc. And on top of those ideas, as others have said, if you call your local council on aging, they will be able to tell you about other community services for the elderly that might be available and would either be free or have a very small cost attached....things like Meals on Wheels for food, Day Care, which comes and picks up and delivers elderly to a day program for about 6 hrs per day for free or a small daily cost. or volunteers to come and visit for an hour or so, or to do some chores around the house. Hope this helps.
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Can I get a gov grant for needed adjustments to the home I live in .even if the home isn't in my name ?
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I care for my dad who doesn't need that much assistance but is 82 and has a prosthetic leg to the top of his thigh
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I am 51yrs. Old, and I have neurapathy, chronic back pain, ..I sometimes have problems getting in and out of the bath tub. I have accidents sometimes because I can't reach the restroom. I'm in remission from cancer. I was wondering if my daughter whom is an experienced caregiver can become my caregiver? I am on SSI and SSD. Help.
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My mom is currently on ALTCS and lives in Arizona in a group home. I asked the social worker what would happened to the money being given to the group home if I took her home and she said it would go to me since I would be taking care of her.
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In California, if your loved one has medi - cal, food stamps, you can get evaluated by the case worker from IHHS = in home health services. The pay is $10.30 per hour but YOU MUST PROVE THAT THE ELDERLY PERSON NEEDS WHAT YOU CLAIM.The rep inspects the home, living quarters, opens the fridge, and makes a bunch of notes.
I care for mom 24/7, and I get a whopping 7.18 hrs per WEEK to cover what I do . Yes, it is better than zero, but is tantamount to humiliation. Less than ONE hr. Per day.
Sigh!
M88 in sunny California. Broken♥, empty pockets.
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