Volume 18, No. 2, Spring 2010
Under a new state-funded program, family caregivers can be paid up to $16,000 annually for caring for a MassHealth eligible elder or adult disabled family member over the age of 16 at home. This income is a stipend and therefore not taxable.
[This stipend actually ends up saving taxpayers money since it is appreciably less than the cost to the state if the disabled person had to be hospitalized or placed in a nursing home.]
Caregiver Homes, a Massachusetts approved Enhanced Adult Foster Care Program, is now accepting referrals on Cape Cod for the program jointly funded by the Massachusetts Office of Elder Affairs and MassHealth. The program pays family caregivers, with the exception of a spouse or legally responsible relative.
Two levels of reimbursement parallel the frail person’s need for assistance.
The first level is the need for at least one activity of daily living (ADL) such as bathing, dressing, walking, and eating.
The second level covers the need for assistance with three activities of daily living, or two ADL’s and the management of behaviors such as wandering, resistance to care, or verbal abuse.
Caregivers need to provide 24-hour supervision, assistance with daily activities, and other personal care services.
The process begins with a client and family meeting with a Caregiver Homes Intake Coordinator. Then a registered nurse completes an assessment of needs. Once in the program the client and family caregiver receive ongoing support from a team of professionals, including a registered nurse and a Care Manager. This team provides specific caregiver training, establishes a formal Plan of Care, and conducts regular home visits.
Caregiver Homes uses a client friendly Internet-based computer system for communication, supervision, and oversight of daily care and activity. The family caregiver submits a daily note about the client’s status.
To learn more about Caregiver Homes, visit the Web site at: www.caregiverhomes.com, or contact the Program Manager for Cape Cod and the Islands, Marleen Spengler MBA, RNC, CMC, at 617-981-9171.