What Does Biden’s Caregiver Infrastructure Plan Do For Families?
President Biden’s Caregiver Infrastructure plan will help families -the very infrastructure that
supports elders as they age. What do I mean? Currently, 53 million family members provide most of the care that vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities require — without being paid as Medicare does not pay for long-term caregiving.
Family Members Provide Care for No Pay
There is often a significant financial and emotional cost to these family caregivers. According to AARP, family caregivers on average devote about 24 hours a week to helping loved ones and spend around $7,000 out-of-pocket on that care.
The value of this unpaid labor force is estimated to be at least $306 billion annually, nearly double the combined costs of home health care ($43 billion) and nursing home care ($115 billion)
Medicare Does Not Pay for Custodial Caregiving
Families are shocked when they discover that Medicare does not pay for custodial caregiving or long-term care. This is the type of care that most elders will eventually need as they age. They will pay for short-term care post-hospitalization. So most elders must depend on their families for this care or if they are in the upper 10-15% pay for private duty home care which can run up to $4000-$6000 a month if they need 24-hour care, creating severe inequality in out care infrastructure.
Some Family Caregivers Can Be Paid Through Medicaid and the VA
Although family caregivers and actually in-home care is not paid by Medicare, some family caregivers are paid through the VA and family caregivers supporting a relative on Medicaid
In the US 1-5 Americans receive Medicaid. which is only available for low-income individuals.VA Homecare is only available to veterans with specific criteria
Biden’s Caregiver Program May Help Medicaid Family Caregivers
The median salary for these home-care workers, who care for low-income Medicaid recipients, is approximately $17,200 per year, said Leslie Frane, executive vice president at SEIU. This is in large
part because the United States pays only limited amounts to states to compensate them for Medicaid care in the home. More than half of home-care workers are on some form of public assistance themselves such as food stamps, Frane said. They are overwhelmingly female and far more likely to be people of color than the general population.
Being a Caregiver on Medicaid Comes at a High Personal Cost
Being a caregiver for a family member presents incredible hurdles for all family caregivers but under Medicaid comes at a high cost. .Caregivers often have to significantly reduce their number of hours
working outside the home or leave their jobs entirely in order to provide quality care for their loved one. This means that caregivers are spending hours assisting loved ones with daily tasks, cooking meals, taking them to appointments, ensuring their safety and well-being, and providing companionship, but are not being compensated for their time.
Biden’s Health Care Plan May be Unveiled This Week
As I mentioned in my last blog, there are still few details about how Biden’s Caregiver Infrastructure Bill of $400 million will be allocated. However, there is reason to believe that a large part will go to these family caregivers who support their elderly relatives on Medicaid.
We may get a hint of what and when that will be this week when Biden will discuss changes in Heath care he will include in the will try to include in his American Family Plan.
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You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: May 20, 2021, 02:00 PM Pacific Time (the US and Canada)
Topic: 5 Steps to Market Your COVID Coaching Service for Aging
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After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
a family can use a practice called reminiscence therapy to help combat the frustration, confusion, and depression that can often accompany dementia and even bring joy to the older person
Easter eggs, create easter baskets, do an Easter egg hunt, serve an Easter brunch or dinner, get them involved, let them watch, allow them to help if possible, serve them ritual food or to taste it and ask when how they experienced these rituals, when they were young. If you have old albums of pictures from their childhood of them at Easter, look and the photos with them. Then listen.
higher quality of life for both the older person and the aging family is increased through oral history and reminiscence.
. Equally important, my husband, who has been sheltering in place since March with me, really enjoys writing about his past and the prompts have brought many vivid memories back to him.
Grandchildren can also make inexpensive valentines gifts if she is caring for grandpa