elder care phoenix az

Dividing Caregiver Costs Without Causing Family Uproar

Mature women talkingDo you recall how challenging it could be when you were young to learn the lesson of sharing with your brothers and sisters? While the incredible importance of taking into consideration other people’s feelings, and also being fair, was impressed upon us early on, it may still be a challenging goal to minimize sibling squabbles regarding complicated decisions we struggle with in adulthood – such as how to fairly divide caregiver costs and requirements for our aging parents. Read more

Taking Care of Parents

Affording Arizona Home Care: Payment Options You May Not Know

Arizona Home CarePick a senior, any senior, and you’re likely to hear the same sentiments: the vast majority of older adults agree that they’d prefer to spend their elder years at home over moving to a nursing home facility. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about who pays for Arizona home care. Medicare? Medicaid? Insurance? The reality, per CPA Jerry Lowe, is, “For the most part, the clients who have home care are private pay.”

Although Medicare does cover home health care on a limited basis, if it’s deemed to be medically necessary, it does not cover homemaker services – and, most health insurance and Medicare supplemental plans don’t cover any type of in-home care.

According to Rod Perkins, VP of insurance regulation of the American Council of Life Insurers, “Baby boomers have seen their parents have long-term care needs and weren’t prepared. And it’s not just an old-age product. You could need in-home care as a result of an accident.”

If you and your senior loved ones aren’t prepared to pay out of pocket for home care in Arizona however, rest assured that there are some additional avenues to explore, such as:

  • Veterans’ assistance (click here to check eligibility requirements)
  • PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)
  • Long-term care insurance policies that specifically include in-home care services
  • Reverse mortgages
  • Organizations geared to assist with specific needs, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the ALS Association, and Easter Seals, may provide respite care vouchers
  • Community support, such as through religious organizations, the local Area on Aging, the United Way and area senior centers

The Benefits.gov site is also a great resource to determine what federal benefits you may qualify for. And, contact Endeavor In-Home Care, the leading provider of in-home senior care in Phoenix & nearby areas, for more resources and assistance with making sure no stone is left unturned when it comes to providing Arizona home care for your precious senior loved ones. We’re skilled at exploring every possible avenue to help families uncover any benefits for which their senior loved ones qualify. Let us help make professional in-home care services a reality for you by calling (480) 535-6800!

Should I Pay My Home Senior Care Provider “Under the Table?”

The last thing you need when a loved one is in need of at home senior care is to be audited by the IRS. OK, it’s not exactly something anyone wants, but the short-term savings of hiring a helper under-the-table will be quickly overwhelmed by the costs of penalties and possibly legal fees if you are caught not paying required taxes.

And that’s not all! Hiring a caregiver under the table, without working through a reputable home care agency is extremely risky. A privately hired caregiver has no supervision or oversight, and has not been background checked and screened – leaving an older adult vulnerable to fraud or elder abuse. Also consider what will happen if the caregiver should become sick or takes time off for a vacation. There’s no backup care available when working with one individual. Finally, think through what might occur if the caregiver was injured in your home, or if items of value went missing. Without being bonded and insured, you would be liable for any applicable expenses: medical bills, worker’s compensation, the replacement cost for valuables, etc.

at home senior care

How Can I Avoid a Catastrophe When Hiring a Caregiver?

Thankfully, we have a solution that allows you to simply enjoy the benefits of in-home care without any fear of legal or other serious repercussions.

A home care agency like Endeavor In-Home Care will work with your budget and identify the best personnel to care for your family member in a home setting. And you will know that you and the caregivers who are working in your home are in compliance with federal and local laws. Our caregivers are fully bonded and insured, extensively trained, and background checked, for your peace of mind, while we take care of all of the necessary taxes, worker’s compensation, and oversight.

It’s not just celebrities and politicians who get caught up in “nanny-gate” situations through inappropriate hiring processes. Essentially the government likes to keep “off the books” employment to a minimum, so unless you are running a lemonade stand, someone needs to be paying taxes. Your legal options are to hire a care giver directly and take responsibility for filing tax reports (which you either have to do yourself or pay your own tax provider to handle) or you can contract with an at home senior care agency and be confident that payroll and taxes are handled in a professional manner.

If you would like to consider the option of professionally managed at home senior care from the leading caregivers in Phoenix and the surrounding areas at Endeavor In-Home Care, please contact us.