Cincinnati Medicaid Attorneys Offer Tips for Caregivers
By Barry Zimmer on April 24th, 2018 in Asset Protection, Assisted Living facilities, Care Planning, Elder Law, Elderly parents, Medicaid
Cincinnati Medicaid attorneys provide assistance to people who require care in a nursing home or who need long-term care at home. Many people end up requiring care as they get older. This care can be provided in an institutional setting or can be provided at home by either professionals or by family members.
If you are a family member who is providing care to a loved one, then you know how difficult it can be to handle all of your family member’s needs. You need to ensure you take care of yourself and get the best help and support available to you. Cincinnati Medicaid attorneys at Zimmer Law Firm can work with you to explore your options and to make sure you have the tools and resources that you require to provide the best quality care.
It can be difficult to know everything that you need to know in order to be an effective caregiver, but these key tips can help.
Make Sure You Take Advantage of Available Resources
Being a caregiver is difficult so you want to make sure that you take advantage of all of the help that could potentially be available to make the job easier. This could include caregiver respite services. These are offered through the Veteran’s Administration if you or your loved one who you are caring for is eligible based on military service. There may also be other programs that you could avail yourself of to get a break from caregiving, depending upon what organizations you are a member of and what is offered in the area where you love.
If your loved one can qualify for Medicaid, you may be able to get long-term care at home paid for so you can have a visiting home health aide come in to provide you with a break from caregiving and to help with essential caregiving tasks.
Medicaid is usually one of the only sources of payment for long-term care at home because Medicare only pays for skilled nursing care. Medicaid is means-tested, but Cincinnati Medicaid attorneys can work with you to understand the Medicaid planning process and find ways to make sure the person you are caring for is able to get covered without having to impoverish himself and lose the chance to leave a legacy.
If your loved one actually needs skilled nursing care, such as physical therapy, Medicare pay also pay for skilled care at home so this could be an option as well — but the circumstances where skilled nursing care is necessary are limited, which is why Medicaid planning is so important.
Zimmer Law Firm can help you to explore different benefits and programs that you could make use of so you can get help providing care to lessen your burden.
Take Time for Yourself
Whether you are able to get a visiting nurse in or take advantage of respite services or not, you still need to take breaks because caregiving can be physically and mentally exhausting. You can look into adult daycare options or see if family members might be willing to relieve you for a little bit so you have time to go out and do something fun. Don’t ever feel guilty for taking time for yourself, because you cannot be an effective caregiver if you get burned out from doing too much.
Get The Right Legal Documents in Place So You Have Necessary Authority
As a caregiver, it is important that you have the right legal authority to make decisions and act on behalf of the person who you are caring for. This means you should make sure there are documents in place such as a power of attorney. Zimmer Law Firm can provide assistance both in understanding the types of documents you should have on file and in creating those documents.
Getting Help from Cincinnati Medicaid Attorneys
Cincinnati Medicaid attorneys at Zimmer Law Firm can help you to make sure you have what you need to fulfill your role as a caregiver successfully. Our experienced legal team can provide assistance creating a power of attorney and making sure there is a Medicaid plan in place so you and the person who you are caring for can get any and all benefits available to you.
To find out more about how our legal team can provide you with assistance as a caregiver, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at 513-721-1513 at any time for personalized one-on-one help.