My cousin is not elderly. She has stage 4 cancer and would like to stay with me in my home until she cannot anymore. She is worried about how I could be compensated for her care by me. I am currently unemployed and do have the time and knowledge to care for her. How would we start the process of payment for care? I will do anything I need to for her and to make her feel as comfortable as possible. I am familiar with taking care of a terminally ill family member since I did take care of my sister who did pass from caner. Her concerns are greater than mine when it comes to payment but since I am unemployed currently the income may help lift some of the burden. where do we find the help we may need?
If she ends up needing a higher level of care & goes to a NH, She can apply for Medicaid but her Payments to you will be viewed as a transfer penalty & make her ineligible for Medicaid. This is why you need a legit caregiver agreement done.
If she is stage 4, she will likely qualify for hospice. Now if she is over 65 she can get hospice as a benefit of Medicare. How young is she? If under 65, I'd suggest calling hospice providers to see how payments are done if NOT billable to Medicare. Your state may have a hospice program for the non elderly.
If her cancer has an association - like leukemia has Leukemia & Lymphona assoc with chapters all over - I'd contact them to see what might be available in your state. Others have been down this path, so you can learn from them. Good luck and it's wonderful you can do this for auntie!