Elder Angle
Care-giving: A Labor of Love
Recent reports estimate almost 1.5 million Floridians serve as a caregiver to another in some capacity, with almost half of these acting as the primary caregiver. Of these caregivers, approximately 68 percent are elders themselves. The value of these informal services is around 11.2 billion dollars -- or about 81 percent of the total cost of long-term care services in Florida.
A survey by the Department of Elder Affairs notes that perhaps the most significant negative impact of care giving is the financial burden it can place on the family. To assist families in supporting their loved ones at home, the State of Florida offers the Home Care for the Elderly stipend.
The Home Care for the Elderly (HCE) stipend is a state-funded program that provides a subsidy payment to help caregivers maintain low-income elders at the home of the Senior or the caregiver. The program is meant to encourage the care of elders in a family-type living arrangement as an alternative to institutional or nursing facility care, while saving the State money. The monthly basic subsidy payment of $106 is made to the caregiver for support and health maintenance, and to assist with food, housing, clothing and medical care for the client. There is also a special subsidy available to assist with specialized health care needs. Preliminary estimates state that every $1 applied to the HCE program saves $5 in nursing home costs.To be eligible for the HCE stipend, the client must be 60 years of age or older and meet the nursing home level of care criteria. To determine if you or your loved one qualifies for the HCE program, or to check your eligibility for other programs like Medicaid, contact the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 or on the web at www.agingresources.org. §
