Can I get paid to take care of my Dad?

I'm sorry, my partner used to work for social security which deals with Medicare. Our aunt gets paid by Medicare and has been a certified physical therapist for years. My partner assisted in getting my aunt the help she needed to obtain this, but like flyer stated -- it is ONLY part time (4 hours) which is why the pay is extremely low. But it is pay. It is very difficult to obtain: many appeals and red tape like I said. I was not sure if the person who asked the question was already in the medical field or some sort of healthcare assisted program to do this. I'm only speaking from what my partner and her aunt had gone through.

I found this on the Medicare website: "Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers eligible home health services like intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, continued occupational services, and more. Usually, a home health care agency coordinates the services your doctor orders for you." http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services.html

TheBoogs, is your Aunt certified in the home health field, such as nursing, physical therapy, etc? Maybe that is why your Aunt is being paid. Looks like part-time is only allowed, not full-time care.

I'm confused, Boogs, first you mentioned your aunt is getting paid from MediCARE, now you're saying your aunt is getting paid from Social Security. Which is it, I'm sure other people would like to know too, before we go try to get a similar reimbursement set up.

Mallory, my partner had worked in the medical field and the social security office in our city and the thing is, people abuse the system more than we can even imagine. You have to give proof that you are "caring" for the patient and not just living with them. I'm not saying anyone here is doing that, but the red tape and b.s. that you have to go through is enormous to achieve the little pay that they do give IF you are approved... "if".... We got it done for our aunt who is taking care of the grandmother. She goes in 4 hours a day (she lives 1 hour away). They proved that they were not living with them and that the grandmother only wanted relatives to be caring for her. In our state it is possible, but they will say "no" with a big heavy sigh only because wayyyyyyyy too many people are asking for this type of thing. It's the most abused type of arrangement in social security, besides those who fake being disabled. You can say that I'm wrong, but I know for a fact that it is possible since our aunt is doing this herself. But she has proof, from medical records, to living arrangements as well as doctors' recommendations. Even that could have gotten us a big fat "no". This was done last year (approved) after many appeals. We were denied a few times. But now, the grandmother has help and the aunt is happy to go down there for a few hours to assist.

Just be persistent if you need it. The money is not worth it, but the HELP is what counts the most.

Good luck.

I did call Medicare today and asked if they would reimburse me for 4 hours of taking care of my mom. The rep on the phone breathed a long, heavy sigh, and said, No, Medicare only pays for Medical services,and that I must have Medicare confused with Medical Assistance and suggested I call my local DHS. So I am still thinking Boogs is wrong.

I forgot to mention that it's different in each area... It's A LOT of red tape if you do try to get an income from it, but rare. My partner's aunt does it for her mom like I said, but doesn't get much... not anything to live on. Good luck!

Timahy, that’s a very common question about getting paid. Majority of grown children do not get paid for caring for their parent, unless the parent is financially able to pay from their own pocket. If a parent can afford to pay you, the parent might as well hire a certified trained caregiver allowing you to keep a full-time job.

If you live in the States, see If your parent qualifies for Medicaid, the State might allow a trained Caregiver come in to help for a couple hours. Also check to see if your State is one of those States that has a “Cash and Counseling” program to help you out, it‘s worth looking into. Note that each State has their own rules, regulations, and programs.

Also contact your county agency on aging for programs, such as Case Management, Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Care, housing, care referrals, etc,... go to the website link below.... click on your State.... now click on the city/county. https://www.agingcare.com/local/Area-Agency-on-Aging

And please come back to the forums if you have any Caregiving questions, we would be more than happy to share our experiences with you, and give you ideas on what to do.

P.S. --- There are many helpful websites on Google to give you the needed information. It is extremely difficult to gain this, but doable.

My partner's aunt takes care of her mother and gets paid a very low income by Medicare. So no, I am not wrong. In some cases, they do provide, given that you are indeed, the caretaker. It has to be at least 4 hours. We went through all the red tape with her to get her this income.

Boogs not Blogs. My puter auto corrected.....incorrectly.

Blogs is wrong. Medicare NEVER EVER pays family for their time. Medicare only pays MEDICAL services--sometimes they will lay for in-home MEDICAL services but it must be provided by Certified Medical Professionals (and these individuals will most definitely only perform their professional tasks, not take out the garbage or vacuum clean or clean out the microwave).
SOME states Medical Assistance (MedicAID -- which is a completely diff entity from MediCARE ) will pay an extremely minimal wage for family caregivers, but it is so low it's not enough to live on or quit your other job for.

I believe Medicare pays for 4 hours of service? But I am not sure that if you put him in senior care that you would qualify. I would call Medicare.