I pay for home care for my mother in cash to the caregiver. If this money runs out will she qualify for Medicaid?

Too bad your Mom didn't pay the caregiver via a check. Did Mom write up an Employment Contact with the caregiver which would say what are her duties, how many days she would work, and what is her hourly rate? It is very important to have a paper trail. Otherwise Medicaid could say the money given to the person was a gift or was used for something other than for your Mom's care.

How I wish becoming older wouldn't be so complicated as so many things we didn't know about until after the fact, such as a paper trail,... [sigh].