How to Qualify for Home Care for the Elderly

Elderly home care might be the solution for seniors who want to continue living at home. Consider home care for a loved one who needs medical care, safety checks or assistance with basic daily activities. A person might prefer the comfort of his own home over an institutional setting such as a nursing home. Home healthcare is often costly, but the elderly can sometimes qualify for financial assistance.

Things You'll Need

• Letter of medical necessity
• Insurance policy

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Instructions

• 1

  Identify the needs of your loved one based on their abilities and challenges during day-to-day care. Different levels of elderly home-care are available, and insurance coverage varies based on the person's specific needs and condition.

• 2

  Schedule an appointment with your loved one's primary-care physician for a complete examination. Certain insurance and elderly home-care programs require that the individual meets a level of neediness and disability to qualify for assistance. Ask the physician for a letter of medical necessity detailing your loved one's condition, and his belief in her need for in-home care.

• 3

  Contact Medicare to see if your family member is covered under the Medicare Home Health Benefit program. Medicare covers most home-care services if the elderly person meets certain criteria. These include a regularly-reviewed care plan, a physician-signed letter of medical necessity for a specific level of care and verification that the family member's condition makes it difficult for him to leave his home. You must use a Medicare-certified home care agency. Additional standards must be achieved to receive occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech pathology services.

• 4

  Call your local Area Agency on Aging; inquire about state programs covering elderly home-care services. The Area Agency on Aging helps support the Older Americans Act -- enacted by congress in 1965 -- that provides federal funds for state and local social-service programs for the frail, elderly and disabled.

• 5

  Contact your state Medicaid office about your loved one's eligibility for elderly home-care through the Medicaid program. Medicaid is a shared, federal-state program that provides medical assistance to low-income individuals with few assets, including the elderly population. Each state sets its own eligibility requirements.