According to The National Institutes of Health, 59% of adults between the ages of 85 and 89 receive a family caregiver’s help. That rises to 76% for those 90 or older. Arranging for care for a loved one is emotionally challenging, but also has other risks from fraud, ensuring that you have a competent caregiver, or burnout from taking on the role of a caregiver yourself. Although stepping outside of yourself to help and serve a loved one can be a rewarding experience, it requires sacrifice, and can be emotionally draining. If you ignore your own needs, it can exact a toll on your own health.

The Financial Side

Medicare pays for caregivers only under specific conditions: when a person is under the care of a doctor, a doctor has certified a person as homebound, or the care delivered is through a written plan that’s regularly reviewed by a doctor. Medicare may cover eligible home health services such as medically necessary part-time skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational, speech, and language therapy, and part-time home health aide services.

However, Medicare does not pay for 24-hour-a-day care at your home, home meal delivery, homemaker services (like shopping and cleaning), and help with daily living activities (like bathing, dressing, using the bathroom), when this is the only care you need.

It is worth reviewing the requirements in detail. This article in Medical News Today may be a good place to start as well as visiting Medicare.gov.

For Veterans or family members of a veteran, you may be eligible for additional benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
Medicaid may be an option, but please be aware that eligibility may be severely restricted by your income or assets.

Red Flags in hiring a caregiver. Those looking for employment may have the best of intentions, but the Institute on Aging notes that good intentions should be “backed up with a clean criminal record, affiliation with a reputable agency, and a safe, secure feeling you get when you leave your senior in their hands.”

Avoid hiring a caregiver who isn’t qualified, or worse, puts your loved one in a dangerous situation. If you have ever engaged with a caregiver, it’s an ever-present worry, but the risk can be minimized by taking a few simple precautions.  Let’s review several red flags provided by the Institute on Aging.

1. Your applicant refuses to supply references, a home address, or submit to a background check. This is a huge red flag. Avoid this applicant!

2. The person moves often. Unless there is a reasonable and legitimate explanation, this could be a sign they may be evading law enforcement, state homecare regulations, or both.

3. A family member or friend may appear to be the solution, but is that person in over their head? Past elder care experience isn’t a substitute for education, training, certification, licensure, bonding, and proof of insurance.

4. Follow your gut. Does something seem out of place? If so, you are under no obligation to hire that person.

What are the signs of a dangerous caregiver? What if you have thoroughly researched a candidate, and they are now assisting your senior, but something feels amiss? Let’s review some of the danger signs.

1. Your senior has unexplained illnesses, infections, or bruises. You may have a dangerous caregiver if medical history doesn’t explain these problems.

2. Is your loved one anxious or nervous around their caregiver? Does he or she seem to be afraid of their caregiver? The caregiver may be threatening your loved one in your absence.

3. Look for signs of neglect. Is the home a mess or dirty? Is the aide always watching T.V. or not paying attention to your senior? Is your senior hungry or cold? These are signs of neglect.

Scams

Be careful and be alert. Scams targeting individuals 60 and older caused over $3.4 billion in losses last year. That’s up about 11% from 2022, according to the FBI. Remind your loved one about online scams and fraudsters claiming to work for the IRS, Social Security, and Medicare. Common schemes include romance scams, tech support scams, and the sweepstakes winner scam.

If you have additional questions or feel overwhelmed, we want you to know that you are not alone, and we would be glad to provide you with additional resources.