I am the only caregiver for my wife and she is no longer capable of being left alone. I'm going under the knife and will be totally incapacitated for 24 hours after they are discharging me from the hospital (its Medicaid rules) and then partially incapacitated for up to a month with the loss of the use of my left arm. (Fortunately my right arm is my favored arm.)

Needless to say, I have no caregiver and, since I have to stay at home with my wife to care for her, virtually no money.

This can't be a unique situation. What is the usual method of dealing with this?

As I alluded, I have Medicaid coverage but haven't been able to locate any programs to assist caregivers (other than the waiver program for home care which has a waiting list that we've been on for a year now) let alone a caregiver who needs 1 day of care (they won't allow me the surgery if I don't have a "responsible adult" sign to take care of me for 24 hours upon discharge).

I have no answer, but I am in the same situation. It is a constaint worry of what will happen if I do need.

We connected with a United Way Agency called Sunbeam Services. They offer a Senior Companion Program for folks 65 and over that has been a life saver for us and does not cost anything. A Companion comes to our house three days per week and stays for five hours. They cannot do any medical stuff, i.e. meds, but they do light housework, fix a meal, make a bed, do some laundry...etc. I don't know if a similar service might be available where you live, but do find out. Good luck with the surgery.

what a coincidance. ...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2014 03:31PM by JFB.

That's a tough situation to be in. Reaching out to agencies as suggested sounds like your best place to start. In my area there is a non-profit group that provides adult day care for those with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, HD and a few other neuro diseases.

Hope you find some help and good luck with the surgery.

Mike

Also, it doesn't matter if you go to church or not, make a few phone calls to some local churches, they usually like to help people in the community, even sending some ladies over to help out, it's worth a try.

I agree with the church advice. Some larger churches (and smaller too I suppose) even have programs specifically for helping people in that kind of situation. Also, check with your closest HD Reach support groups. Maybe you and other caregivers can help each other out. Try calling 211. It is a number good all across the country that tries to help people in need to put them in touch with local resources. Last, but not least - try to scrounge up a little $ and look on Care.com and hire someone for the first 24 hours to stay with you and your wife. Also, a local church may be able to help if you have a specific financial need like hiring someone for one day. Let us know how it goes and what solution you come up with!