Mary Sweet: It's not easy being a senior in Maine, which isn't meeting the needs of its older residents.
Liz Havu: Caregiver, mother, daughter, wife. She's all of the above - and then some.
Kathy and Larry Roy: Twenty years after an Alzheimer's diagnosis, she clings to life in his tender care.
Cedric and Pauline Long. Suffering from a costly betrayal.
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HOME & PERSONAL CARE | April 27, 2014
Maine funds several home- and community-based programs that help seniors stay in their homes and avoid long-term care facilities.
Assistance is available through MaineCare, as well as general fund programs that are open to singles or couples who have less than $50,000 or $75,000 in liquid assets, respectively. Clients are charged copayments ranging from $5 to $100 per month.
Here are some of those services:
Home and personal care:
Personal support specialists or certified nursing assistants help with activities of daily living such as getting out of bed,
bathing, dressing, toileting, meal preparation and eating, taking medications as prescribed, housework, grocery shopping and other errands.
Home health care:
Certified nursing assistants provide routine health care, such as changing bandages and applying topical medications, monitor and report
changes in health status, and may provide personal care such as bathing, dressing and toileting.
Homemaker Services:
Workers help with routine housework, food preparation, laundry, grocery shopping, prescription pickup, rides to medical appointments.
Capped at 8 hours per month, this general fund program is administered by Catholic Charities Maine.
Adult day care:
Agencies provide day care, including communal activities and exercises, for seniors who are living with a spouse or other caregiver.
Depending on the level of need, this service provides a respite for caregivers or allows them to maintain jobs outside the home.
Homeward Bound:
A new program that helps seniors and disabled adults transition from nursing homes to community living with help from MaineCare funded home
care services. May also provide help with home furnishings, moving expenses and home modifications.
Part VII: Mildred Rood
The demand for home care – already unmet – is poised to explode as the state’s population propels into old age. Why, then, are programs that keep low-income seniors out of nursing homes so badly underfunded and how can we attract enough caregivers with such a meager wage?
