Pick a senior, any senior, and you’re likely to hear the same sentiments: the vast majority of older adults agree that they’d prefer to spend their elder years at home over moving to a nursing home facility. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about who pays for home care. Medicare? Medicaid? Insurance? The reality, per CPA Jerry Lowe, is, “For the most part, the clients who have home care are private pay.”
Although Medicare does cover home health care on a limited basis, if it’s deemed to be medically necessary, it does not cover homemaker services – and, most health insurance and Medicare supplemental plans don’t cover any type of in-home care.
According to Rod Perkins, VP of insurance regulation of the American Council of Life Insurers, “Baby boomers have seen their parents have long-term care needs and weren’t prepared. And it’s not just an old-age product. You could need in-home care as a result of an accident.”
If you and your senior loved ones aren’t prepared to pay out of pocket for home care however, rest assured that there are some additional avenues to explore, such as:
- Veterans’ assistance (click here to check eligibility requirements)
- PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)
- Long-term care insurance policies that specifically include in-home care services
- Reverse mortgages
- Organizations geared to assist with specific needs, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the ALS Association, and Easter Seals, may provide respite care vouchers
- Community support, such as through religious organizations, the local Area on Aging, the United Way and area senior centers
The Benefits.gov site is also a great resource to determine what federal benefits you may qualify for. And, contact Home Matters for more resources and assistance with making sure no stone is left unturned when it comes to providing home care for your precious senior loved ones. We’re skilled at exploring every possible avenue to help families uncover any benefits for which their senior loved ones qualify. Let us help make professional in-home care services a reality for you by calling us!
