Looking for home care options, how do I use Mom's benefits?

Usually Medicare only pays for in home care after a hospital stay or rehab stay. In home usually is for PT and OT. When u receive it, an aide maybe provided to help with bathing and to stay for awhile so u can run errands. Maybe a woundcare that needs to be cared for. But once the person doesn't need the PT and the wound is healed, the in home stops.

The only way you may be able to get the help you need is thru Medicaid but Mom needs to be considered low income and meet the criteria. Like said, an aide cannot administer pills unless trained for it. They also cannot do med planners. They can remind the person to take their meds and u would need to do the med planner. As said, agencies are not cheap. Private pay needs to have taxes deducted and SS or it will come back to bite you if Medicaid needed in the next 5 years. Thats if Moms money is used. Then unreliability when it comes to aids both private pay and agencies. Lets say its $30 an hr x8= 240 x5 =1200 a week x 4 weeks= 4800 a month. You may find a nice AL for that and have none of the hassle.

Medicare doesn't pay anything for the kind of help you are looking for.

If she can ride a bike she probably wouldn't qualify for a bathing assistant either. There must be a medical need for short in home help paid for by Medicare and it is never anything except specific assistance, like a bath, physical or occupational therapy.

Hellobeth, this isn't a hiring site. Depending on your mom's financial situation she may qualify for some in-home help through social services. Contact them and request a needs assessment for her through her county's Dept of Health and Human Services. Sounds like your mom is a good candidate for AL and many do allow pets as long as the resident cares for them responsibly. Her needs will only increase so even if you were not considering a care community for her, please remain flexible so you don't become overwhelmed and come to a crisis. May be good just to research places and be familiar with costs and availability (some places have waiting lists). Also become familiar with Medicaid, as many people who didn't dream that they'd ever need it eventually do and they have a financial "lookback" period when applying so your financial interactions between your parents will be very scrutinized and may disqualify her and then you will be stuck. Knowledge gives you the ability to plan!

Your main concern seems to be that your mom stopped refilling her meds in March.

Does your mother have any underlying medical issues? She sounds like she is very active. Still riding a bike.

What kind of meds? Why did she stop?

Overall, it seems like what you need are a couple of different people, i.e., a housekeeper, a bath aide, a companion throughout the day and someone to remind mom to take her meds. If she needs med ADMINISTRATION, only folks with certain licenses can do that; you need to check on state regs.

Part B is not going to pay for any of this unless her doctor orders Home Health Services.

Part B will not pay for this type of care, long term. Short term the doctor would have to order it.

Contact care agencies and since there are two of them cost will be upwards of $30.00 an hour. Do they have assets that will pay for this sort of care.