Holding Hands with Elderly Patient

How do I know what kind of caregiver my family member needs? How do I go about finding a home caregiver? What if I prefer to hire someone myself? Where can I find more information about home caregiving?

Choosing care for your elderly loved one can be challenging. You want to make sure their needs are met and that the care is affordable. This is no easy task with rising health care costs.

When it comes to funding long-term care options, why is home health care such an attractive alternative? Because home care providers don’t maintain large facilities and generally have fewer regulations to follow, according to a recent New York Times article, “Tips for Choosing Care for an Aging or Ailing Family Member“. In short, it is less expensive (and you get to remain in your own home). According to the article, there is currently an ample supply of workers to serve as at-home caregivers.

However, these rates and the supply may change down the road. As baby boomers grow older, the demand for caregivers will most likely increase. Most of those baby boomers will want to stay in their own homes as long as they can.

The cost of hiring a caregiver may also be impacted by new regulations that go into effect in 2015. These regulations extend federal minimum wage and overtime protection to many home care workers.

Remember that extended care at home is typically not covered by Medicare. So this cost would be out of pocket, unless you have long-term care insurance or qualify for Medicaid.

Talk to an elder care attorney about your options.

Reference: New York Times (May 2, 2014) “Tips for Choosing Care for an Aging or Ailing Family Member

Mr. Amoruso concentrates his practice on Elder Law, Comprehensive Estate Planning, Asset Preservation, Estate Administration and Guardianship.