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My mom is living with me and has Alzheimer’s. My sister and I live in my home with her and we share her care. We need to work but at this point it is not safe to leave her alone. We have a bit of breathing room before we will need to have fulltime incomes as I sold my car to help cover bills. Is there any compensation for caregiver’s who are also family members? Mother has Medicare and Tricare through my (deceased) father's Air Force Reserve pension. Thank you for any help with this you can give us.

Is there any compensation for family caregivers?

It is advisable for the daughters to pursue assistance through the VA Medical Center for respite care. However, the Medicare and Tricare are just for health care. A widow’s Aide and Attendance compensation may help if the mother’s income is $945/ month or less. This includes any income she receives from her deceased spouse.

Another avenue to pursue would be Medicaid through the Elder Choices Program. If she is approved for this program, the personal care part of it can be replaced by Independent Choices and then any family member, not financially responsible for the mother, can be paid to provide the personal care. This is not going to replace a great deal of income for anyone, however. With the Elder Choices Program and shortened daily work hours for one of the daughters, it may be manageable for them to provide the lion’s share of their mother’s care and still work some. The income limit for the Elder Choices program is $1809.00/month, and the resources limit (any money, in any type of savings/investment plan) is $2000. If the mother fits these criteria, the daughters should contact the Area Agency on Aging in their county for assistance to make application for the program or for further assistance they may contact the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education of Northwest Arkansas (toll free number 1-888-866-899).

Beth C. Vaughan-Wrobel, EdD, RN, FAAN

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