4 Tips to Help You Care for a Loved One or Family Member

4 Tips to Help You Care for a Loved One or Family Member

Caring for a loved one when they are at a stage where they need your emotional and physical support to help them get through the day is a challenge that most of us rise to when it’s time to take that level of responsibility on board, but it can be difficult and stressful all the same.

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There is a huge network across the country of people who are a paid family caregiver and plenty of us who take care of the needs of someone you love without any financial reward either.

It is understandable that you will feel a strong and highly commendable sense of duty to meet their daily needs but it is also a good idea to look at ways of ensuring that you can cope with this burden too, with some financial and emotional support yourself.

Here are some pointers on how to get the help you might need in such challenging circumstances.

If being a caregiver is more like a full-time job

Even if you are not one to complain about your responsibilities it can put your own personal life and finances under strain when you devote so much of your time to caring for a loved one.

If you are providing daily or regular care for a loved one there is a possibility that you could be entitled to get paid as a caregiver.

There is what is known as a Family Care Agreement which is a written contract that is drawn up to formalize your arrangement in terms of what hours and duties you perform.

Although this might seem a very official way of approaching the situation when it is someone you love that you are caring for, the hourly rate you could be able to claim in state support could make a substantial difference and help you to cope more easily.

Seek out some professional legal advice on your options and see if you can get paid as a caregiver.

Medicaid might help

Another possible option to consider would be to see if there is a suitable Medicaid program available that will offer you a certain level of financial compensation for the hours and care work that you are doing.

As you might expect, the availability and level of support you may be entitled to will depend on how much support your loved one needs and what their care requirements are.

Check with your local area agency to see what you may be entitled to claim for.

Federal health option

It can be confusing to distinguish between Medicare and Medicaid, especially as they are both government programs, but there is a clear distinction in terms of eligibility requirements.

The qualification criteria for Medicaid revolves around how much income and assets you have whereas Medicare is more about meeting a care needs criteria regardless of how much you earn or what property you have.

Keeping your own life on track

Finally, it is important to try and keep your own life on track as best you can and as well as seeking out whatever financial support you can from various state and insurance options you might also be able to adjust your working arrangements to suit.

A growing number of employers are accepting that remote working is a suitable option for a lot of jobs and if you could do a lot of your work from home it would be worth approaching your employer to see if they are prepared to allow you to do this.

This could allow you to have a balance between caring for a loved one and keeping your own finances afloat by generating an income outside of any government support.

There is help out there for the army for caregivers looking after loved ones so make sure you seek out the support you need and are entitled to.