Tag: caregiver support

Online – Parent to Parent Coffee & Tea

April 18 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am PDT

REGISTER Open to parents and caregivers seeking support to navigate the various emotions and life adjustments of raising a child, youth, and adult with a disability. We can help connect families to Pierce County community resources, fosters relationships with other parents and build a support network for parents feeling isolated.

This group supports:

Open Discussions: During the meetings, parents engage in open and honest discussions about various aspects of parenting children with disabilities. Topics might include navigating the healthcare system, accessing educational resources, managing daily routines, promoting social interactions, and self-care for parents.

Shared Experiences: Parents share their personal experiences, challenges, and strategies they have found effective in raising children with disabilities.

Cultural and Language Sensitivity: Efforts are made to ensure that the group is culturally sensitive and inclusive, respecting the diverse backgrounds and needs of all participants. REGISTER

Free

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Online – Parent to Parent Coffee & Tea

April 27 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am PDT

REGISTER Open to parents and caregivers seeking support to navigate the various emotions and life adjustments of raising a child, youth, and adult with a disability. We can help connect families to Pierce County community resources, fosters relationships with other parents and build a support network for parents feeling isolated.

This group supports:

Open Discussions: During the meetings, parents engage in open and honest discussions about various aspects of parenting children with disabilities. Topics might include navigating the healthcare system, accessing educational resources, managing daily routines, promoting social interactions, and self-care for parents.

Shared Experiences: Parents share their personal experiences, challenges, and strategies they have found effective in raising children with disabilities.

Cultural and Language Sensitivity: Efforts are made to ensure that the group is culturally sensitive and inclusive, respecting the diverse backgrounds and needs of all participants. REGISTER

Free

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Medicaid or Medicare-Which Covers Long-Term Care?

Posted on by Barb Koumjian

This quick tip sheet explains which of these programs covers long-term care either in your home, or in a nursing home or other care facility.

Medicare:  No long-term care coverage in the home or in a care facility

  • The Medicare Part A benefit for medically necessary skilled nursing facility care becomes active after hospital treatment for an illness or injury.   
  • Medicare Part A pays for medically necessary skilled nursing facility care, up to 100 days, if the patient is actively participating in rehabilitation services and showing improvement within their plan of care.
  • Medicare Part A does not pay for ongoing long-term (custodial) care in a skilled nursing facility once rehabilitation is complete, nor does Part A pay for ongoing long-term (custodial) care in assisted living, memory care, or adult family homes. 
  • Medicare Part B pays for medically necessary home health care, if the patient is homebound, actively participating in rehabilitation services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy) and showing improvement within their plan of care.

Medicaid:  Long-term care coverage is available in the home and in certain care facilities.

  • Eligibility is based upon the income, resources, and functional need of the applicant.
  • There are special allowances for income, resources, and housing costs of married couples.
  • Medicaid can pay for in-home care or residential care in certain facilities that accept Medicaid funding to pay for the long-term (custodial care) of their residents.
  • Recipients may be required to pay “financial participation” to their care provider, to qualify for and to maintain their Medicaid eligibility, depending upon their income level. 
  • Estate recovery is required to return Medicaid funds to the state once a Medicaid recipient or the surviving spouse of a Medicaid recipient dies.
  • There is a five-year “lookback period” to determine whether an applicant had been “gifting away” resources to qualify for Medicaid. 
  • Eligibility for a recipient receiving Medicaid is reviewed every twelve months. 

Courtesy of Pierce County Washington’s Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), part of the Aging and Disability Resource Centers network across WA State. Find your area’s ADRC at Community Living Connections.

Kinship Caregiving

Posted on by Barb Koumjian

Relatives raising the child(ren) of a family member (Kinship Families)

Kinship families are families in which children live with and are being raised by grandparents, other extended family members, or other adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship such as close family friends. Many kinship caregivers don’t necessarily think of themselves that way–it’s natural to step in and raise children when the parents can’t. Even though most of the challenges that come with raising children are the same for a kinship family, there is an important difference. Kinship caregivers do not have automatic legal rights and responsibilities for the children. Raising children when they are not the child’s parent was not necessarily planned or expected. It’s often related to a family crisis, and the child welfare system is not always involved.

Kinship caregivers can often use help with all of the practical issues surrounding a suddenly larger family: large enough housing, paying for the extra food, ensuring medical care, and registering children at a different school. Legal issues may come up–powers of attorney to get things done, custody, guardianship of the children, parental rights and visitation.

There is help available! Kinship caregivers can get help with:

  • Health insurance and health care
  • Financial assistance (including food)
  • Other public benefits
  • Legal assistance
  • Tax credits
  • Schooling–especially if the child or children are now in a new school district
  • Support groups where other kinship caregivers share concerns, experiences, and ideas

WA State’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) supports for Kinship Families, including Tribal Families.

More Help:

If the child or children have a disability or special health care need:

PAVE Family Voices of Washington Get Help (works for both programs)

If the child may be experiencing a developmental delay, or you have concerns about that:

“Developmental Screening (Birth to Three and Medically needed developmental screening)”

If the child’s special education needs are not being met: Get Help

If you need a break (respite): Lifespan Respite WA

For Care Partners/Caregivers of Individuals Living with Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on by Barb Koumjian

At Lifespan Respite WA, we focus on caregivers. Our team gathered resources specifically for caregivers from the organizations listed below, to support you in your life with your care partner.

Online – Coffee & Tea Drop-In with P2P

March 9 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am PDT

REGISTER Open to parents and caregivers seeking support to navigate the various emotions and life adjustments of raising a child, youth, and adult with a disability. We can help connect families to Pierce County community resources, fosters relationships with other parents and build a support network for parents feeling isolated.

This group supports:

Open Discussions: During the meetings, parents engage in open and honest discussions about various aspects of parenting children with disabilities. Topics might include navigating the healthcare system, accessing educational resources, managing daily routines, promoting social interactions, and self-care for parents.

Shared Experiences: Parents share their personal experiences, challenges, and strategies they have found effective in raising children with disabilities.

Cultural and Language Sensitivity: Efforts are made to ensure that the group is culturally sensitive and inclusive, respecting the diverse backgrounds and needs of all participants. REGISTER

Free

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