Caring for a family member is hard work, and without support, caregivers can easily get burnt out or overwhelmed. However, there is help available for caregivers if they know where to look. The National Family Caregiver Support Program is a federal initiative that provides money to states to fund programs that support family caregivers. The goal is to help caregivers care for seniors at home for as long as possible.
The National Family Caregivers Support Program supports family caregivers of adults aged 60 or older or anyone with Alzheimer’s disease. It also funds services to grandparents and relative caregivers, age 55 or older, of children 18 years of age or under or who care for a relative with a disability age 19 to 59.
Under the program, states must provide the following five types of services:
- Information about available services
- Assistance in accessing services
- Counseling, support groups, and training
- Respite care for the caregiver, which could be through companions, home health aides, adult day care, or in-facility care
- Supplemental services, such as medical supplies, home safety aides, legal assistance, and financial consultation
The exact services vary from state to state, but caregivers can receive anything from training seminars to case management to home-delivered meals. The services provided are supposed to make daily tasks and routines a little easier.
Click here for more information about these services in Rhode Island.
Click here for more information about these services in Massachusetts.
Or, contact Law for Life attorney Jill E. Sugarman by e-mail at jsugarman@mclaughlinquinn.com or by phone at 401-421-5115, for more information.
If you intend to leave your children equal shares of your estate, don’t forget to consider any money or property held jointly with a child. Property in a joint account passes outside of your estate. If you add a caregiver child to one of your bank accounts out of convenience, the account will pass to that child alone when you die. This is true for any property held in joint tenancy or any property in a POD (Pay on Death) account. If you don’t intend for that child to receive a bigger share of your estate, you can add a provision in estate planning documents stating that any property passing through joint tenancy to a beneficiary will be treated as an advancement of that beneficiary’s share.