Father wants to stay home

[branbeth2]

My father 82 yrs old has moderate dementia and owns his own home with a mortage. He has 4k a month in income but his expenses are 1700 montly and 30k in savings but can not afford in home care as they charge from 30 dollar to 50 dollars hourly. are there any programs in WI that can help him supplment his income for in home care so he can stay in his home w/o giving up everything he has worked for.

[agoyer]

@branbeth2 Some good tips here! I'd echo the thought that $30 - $50/hr is outrageous even for hiring a home health aide through an agency. I've primarily hire caregivers directly to help me care for my parents over the years - my Dad is 94 and still live with me (he has Alzheimers) and we've had live-in caregivers/health aides (you can pay them less per hour because they get their room and board as part of it) as well as hourly caregivers/health aides but I've never paid more than $16/hr directly and usually less than that. I do use a payroll service so they receive paychecks and taxes are taken out they help us pay employer taxes. But it's still less than using an agency for us here in Arizona. Another option is a group home - just be sure to check with your state Ombudsman to check on complaints and try to get good recommendations from families who have had loved ones live there if you decide to go that route. Go to the Eldercare Locator to find and contact the state unit on aging and/or your area agency on aging to ask about the Ombudsman and other options in your area. 

Here is an article from the AARP Family Caregiving Website that may be of help - How to Hire a Caregiver.

AARP also has a free guide that you can download called Prepare to Care - it will help you think ahead and plan and be prepared to help your dad as he needs increasing support. 

Let us know how else we can be of help! 

Take care,

Amy Goyer, AARP Family & Caregiving Expert

[JaneCares]

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@branbeth2 wrote:

My father 82 yrs old has moderate dementia and owns his own home with a mortage. He has 4k a month in income but his expenses are 1700 montly and 30k in savings but can not afford in home care as they charge from 30 dollar to 50 dollars hourly. are there any programs in WI that can help him supplment his income for in home care so he can stay in his home w/o giving up everything he has worked for.

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Hi BranBeth, 

Do take some time to explore the link that Jen posted for you. 

Back in DC and Maryland, you'd pay 30 to 50 dollars an hour for an LPN or RN but only 24 or so at the top of the scale for certified nursing assistants, and much less if you either hired privately (not through an agency) or for many hours a day. 

What i'd recommend is sitting down with two very different professionals. One is an eldercare attorney, who will look at the assets and expenses, and his long term care needs, and make recommendations. "Everything he worked for" might have to be traded in for decent, humane long term care in different settings-- hopefully home as long as possible, and then perhaps a 'continuous care retirement community'  or something. It would be lovely if there is something left over for you to inherit, but meanwhile, we all live in a country where it's kind of up to you to save for dementia, or spend down to medicaid, and what's left over ain't much. I'm not implying that's all you care about. But dementia care is expensive care, and only a lawyer can tell you how to preserve as much of it as possible.

the other professional who's brain i'd pick is a social worker: you look up who to talk to on www.eldercare.gov and type in his zip code. then you make an appointment to see the intake worker, or the most seasoned social worker they have, and come with questions. this social worker will know the best deals, the best home care agencies, all kinds of stuff about the area he lives in.  And she's free. (Might be a he but males are rare.)

Please write more, tell us what you do and what you learn because we all need to know. And you'll be an expert soon. 

jane

[c341535l]

Have you contacted your county ADRC? They now all the available resources in your area also care. com. It’s true that the $30 dollars is above the norm. If dad just needs caregiving as inbasic needs and help, meal prep and maybe some personal cares he should be able to hire a home health aid. The cost is usually about $15 privately per hour or $20 through an agency. Hope that helps.

[JaneCares]

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@c341535lwrote:

Have you contacted your county ADRC? They now all the available resources in your area also care. com. It’s true that the $30 dollars is above the norm. If dad just needs caregiving as inbasic needs and help, meal prep and maybe some personal cares he should be able to hire a home health aid. The cost is usually about $15 privately per hour or $20 through an agency. Hope that helps.

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Good advice! What's your story? I bet you're an expert. Share more? We are all experts about something. 🙂

[Jen]

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@branbeth2 wrote:

My father 82 yrs old has moderate dementia and owns his own home with a mortage. He has 4k a month in income but his expenses are 1700 montly and 30k in savings but can not afford in home care as they charge from 30 dollar to 50 dollars hourly. are there any programs in WI that can help him supplment his income for in home care so he can stay in his home w/o giving up everything he has worked for.

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Branbeth2, 

Thank you for reaching out to us. There are a few links in this free guide that may be of service to you. The guide is specific to WI. You can view it HERE.

Please let me know if any of the agencies listed in the guide are of help.