If you are a Traverse City resident and have reached a place in your life where you (or a loved one living nearby) are no longer able to care for yourself and maintain your home, you are not alone. According to the Aging Institute of Michigan, the increase of the 65 and older age bracket in the Traverse City area is growing at a rate, three times faster than in other areas of the country.
The stagnant economy and high demand for home care in the Traverse City area can make the process of funding quality home care at a reasonable cost a daunting one. Here are a few tips to help you find a way so that you (or your loved one) can get the help they need while staying at home. All without breaking the bank.
Tips for finding funding for home care & keeping your costs down:
1. Government agencies including Medicaid and Veteran's benefits may provide funding for home care services. In particular Medicaid offers support through the Medicaid Waiver program administered through the Area on Aging of Northwest Michigan (also referred to as the AAANM). You can find more information at aaanm.org/ or call (231) 947-8920. Investigate all of your options including all local Grand Traverse agencies to make sure that you take advantage of any financial assistance you may have access to.
2. Consider liquidating, or reallocating assets that may not be as important or necessary now as they were when the initial investments were made.
3. When possible consider non-medical home assistance in conjunction with proper medical care instead of medical home care which is far more expensive and often unnecessary. Non-medical home assistance providers can assist with personal care like bathing, dressing and medication reminders as well as homemaking including meal preparation, laundry and light cleaning. A non-medical caregiver can also provide mobility assistance to the disabled, be a great companion, and supply transportation to doctor appointments and for outings. This can be particularly important in the Traverse City area, where bad weather may make navigating slippery sidewalks or icy roads difficult.
4. Only schedule the care that you need. Start small and increase the amount of home care when needed. Maybe right now you just need some help with meal preparation, laundry and getting to and from appointments. Then there's no need to schedule home care more than a few days a week.
5. Supplement professional home care with help from friends and family. If you or your loved one really wants to stay at home but you can't budget the amount of home care that they need consider supplementing professional caregivers with help from friends and family. In a tight-knit community like Traverse City there are often people nearby willing to help. You will need to be organized so a friend or family member should commit to the same time of day and day each week. Often friends and family are very busy during the day but they may be available to help during the evenings or overnight. Then you can schedule the professional non-medical caregiver on days that friends and family are not available. You could also consider supplementing home care by having an elder move in with a family member and then hiring a caregiver for the office hours that family members are away at work.
6. Ask about discounts for signing a service contract. If you need home assistance on a long-term basis (versus only a few weeks) ask if there are any discounts for committing to a specific time frame, some Traverse City home care agencies will work with you on this.
7. Check on volume discounts. If you need a home care provider 5 days a week or more ask about volume discounts. Can you save money per-hour by selecting a larger service package?
8. Finally check to see if you have Long Term Care Insurance that you purchased years ago. If so, it will mostly likely cover non-medical in-home care. If you have a long term care policy but are not sure what's included in it, your local financial planner, insurance agent or Traverse area home care agency may be able to help you interpret your long term care policy to see if this service is included.
If you are committed to finding a solution that allows you or a loved one to remain independent at home during their senior years take the time to research options for keeping costs down and finding alternative funding resources. You will be glad that you did.
Click this link to learn more about traversehomecare.com Traverse City home care options and services for the surrounding area.
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