Q. My good friend has been in and out of the hospital recently and just returned home after a stay in a rehab. Her wonderful daughter has been taking care of her, but it’s been hard for her daughter to balance caregiving and her job. My friend is on Medicaid and is nervous about accepting outside help. Is there a program out there that could help her?

A. How lucky for your friend that she has a daughter who can help her stay in her home. For many older adults, having a trusted family member to help out can go a long way in maintaining independence. But you’re right to point out that for a caregiver, this can mean missing time at work and a strain on resources. Since your friend is on Medicaid, she may be able to qualify for AgeSpan’s Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program, which would allow her to hire her daughter as a paid caregiver.

To qualify for the PCA program, an older adult must be on Medicaid with MassHealth Standard or CommonHealth or be enrolled in a Senior Care Options (SCO) or OneCare plan. They must be living with a chronic condition or disability and need help with at least two daily activities such as bathing, dressing, or mobility.

If your friend qualifies, we’d start with an assessment to make sure the program is a good fit. After that, an AgeSpan Skills Trainer would work with her to help her understand her care plan and teach her how to hire, schedule, and pay her daughter as her PCA worker. The PCA program is a good solution for people like your friend, who would prefer to have someone they already know and trust to provide care for them in their home.

People in the program can’t hire a spouse, guardian, or surrogate to be their paid caregiver, but they can hire anyone else they would like, as long as the worker is at least 16 years old and meets employment requirements in Massachusetts. For many families, it’s a relief to know that the care a family member is already providing can also come with a paycheck.
AgeSpan is here to support families at every step. If an older adult doesn’t have someone in mind, but would like help searching for someone (maybe someone who comes from a similar culture or speaks the same language), an AgeSpan Skills Trainer can do that, too.

If this sounds like something your friend and her daughter would be interested in, they can call the AgeSpan Information & Referral Department at 800-892-0890 or visit our website at www.agespan.org/solutions/care-options-services/ I hope they can find the balance and maintain the independence they’ve been looking for.

Are you caring for an older adult or need help finding healthy aging resources? Our experienced staff is available to help. Visit us online at www.agespan.org. You can also call 800-892-0890 or email info@agespan.org. 

Joan Hatem-Roy is the chief executive officer of AgeSpan, which serves the following cities and towns: Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dracut, Dunstable, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Marblehead, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Peabody, Rowley, Salisbury, Salem, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, and West Newbury.