My 76yr old mom (who I've been the caretaker of for 12 years) makes $1,908 a month from soc security and so her SOC is EXTREMELY high. It's now at the point where I can only work part time because she can't be alone more than 6 hrs. So now the money I make barely pays my bills and I never have any extra for "me time". Her income pays for the senior apartment we live in, utilities and food. Because she makes too much income, she doesn't qualify for IHSS and we don't have any $ left over to pay for private care. (We live in CA and rent for the apartment is $1015.00 a month) Why is it that there is NO help for people in my mom's situation? Her only option is to go live in Skilled Nursing where they take her whole check (less $35) and then Medi-Cal will pay the rest. (We did this for a year and 4 months in 2015 but unforseen circumstances make it to where we had to live together again.) She does not have dementia or alzheimer's. She does have stubbornness and thinks that she doesn't need to be supervised when using her walker, but she does. Her legs just sometimes don't want to support her. I don't understand why the state doesn't help with private care part time per day for people like her. She doesn't need someone 8hrs a day 7 days a week. Just maybe 2-4 hrs a day to check on her so I can go back to work full time. I hate that she has to stay in bed all day watching TV because it's not safe for her to get up and move around by herself. I don't have any siblings, her family is 2 hrs away. She can't get out to meet any of her neighbors so therefore she doesn't have any friends around the complex that can assist her. Why are these seniors so overlooked? There seems to be so much help for those who make less $ but if you make more, they only look at your income check, not what's left after paying bills!!
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I just wish IHSS would look at how much a senior has of income AFTER they've paid all their bills and food for the month. NOT what their social security check says when it's deposited. Then we could get some help from the state.
How are you going to take care of yourself in retirement?
This is not meant to be harsh, but the facts on the ground appear to me that your mom is paying for an apartment that you both live in.
Where were you living before? Were you able to support yourself?
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Have you considered a 'companion' visit where the person would call you if help is needed. I would urge you to find ways to make it work so your retirement isn't jeopardized. Do other residents have help coming in? If so, perhaps one of them would do a brief check on your Mom when they finish their other assignment. Since there is o transportation time, they might do a half hour for a significantly reduced rate.
You might also call the county office of aging to see what Mom might qualify for.