A relative has late-ish stage pulmonary fibrosis, needs oxygen in bed, and can’t walk around even with oxygen. He’s getting kicked out of the hospital because they can’t improve him, but he might live another year or two and doesn’t want to pay for hospice. I can’t imagine his wife dealing with all his needs (they’re both in their 70s) but I’ve no idea if there are programs that get him care without leaving his wife destitute. They have a fair nest egg and own their house, but he doesn’t want to ‘waste’ their money on health care. I kinda get it, but also: he needs care.
Anyone know of programs to look at? I’m looking for useful links, but I keep hitting things that either look scammy or like they won’t apply (example: if he is deemed ‘disabled’, doesn’t the govt. basically not care at all until you are broke?)
The first thing that comes to mind is Medicare’s home health coverages, but I believe the amounts (and coverage) comes down to how their Medicare is set up. Your state’s department of Health and Human Services should also have some resources for navigating the selection of a group to handle the health needs of your relative. While checking your state’s resources, look into whether they have caregiver stipends and what the qualifications for the program are if one exists. If another family member can help to supplement the care needs provided by a visiting professional, there could be financial support for those efforts in addition to reducing the suffering your relative is facing.
Additionally, try calling your senators’ and representative’s office and asking after constituent assistance; many times they have staff assigned to helping constituents with challenges connecting to services in situations like yours (results may vary).
Thank you for this :-)