Taking care of family members at home is no doubt safer than keeping them in nursing homes. It is especially necessary to take care of family members when it is evident they need full time care. This should be your priority even if you are busy with other responsibilities. Taking care of family members should be as important as any other task! What’s more, when the elderly are taken care of by caregivers, they can feel neglected and estranged from the family. So put simply, taking care of family members is best carried out by family members!

However, Taking Care of Family Members can take a toll on the caregivers. A steady income is needed to cover the cost of medicine, food and doctor’s consultations. Fortunately, there are programs that can help you when you take that all important decision to take care of your family members.

The NY State Medicaid CDPAP program

Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program or CDPAP is a Medicaid funded program which allows an individual to pick any caregiver of their preference, including a family member. However, the spouse is an exception and cannot be a caregiver.

Benefits of CDPAP

• The main advantage of CDPAP is to get paid for taking care of family members, especially the elderly, so that the financial stress is alleviated.
• Unlike nursing homes, there is no specialized training for you to be a caregiver.
• The caregiver can perform medical tasks such as administering medications, giving insulin and other functions taken care of by the nurses.

Eligibility Criteria for CDPAP

• The recipient should have Medicaid.
• The medical condition of the recipient should be stable.
• They are eligible only if they require assistance with tasks.
• The recipient should have a willing participant or a caregiver who is qualified to direct care.

How CDPAP works

• The recipient should let the CDPAP know about their need for a caregiver
• The recipient should get authorization by a doctor.
• The care provider should be taking care of family members only if legally allowed to work in the US.
• A physical examination and blood tests are mandatory to prove that you are healthy and can provide care to the elderly.
• If the CDPAP approves, your family member will be allotted certain hours per week, depending on their requirements.
• You will receive a paycheck based on an hourly pay rate for taking care of your family members.

Tips for taking care of your family members

• Make modifications to their home so that they can move around the house quicker.
• Discuss openly regarding the finances so that you can assist, if needed.
• Help in taking care of any paperwork which would be beneficial for them.
• Keep them active by helping them move around or do light exercise.
• Communicate more often to reduce boredom or loneliness.
• Motivate them to attend social gatherings.
• Arrange family gatherings more often so that they feel happy.
• If they have driving issues, explain to them about the risks of driving.
• Help them in avoiding scams by telling them the possible ways of people getting scammed.
• Motivate them to make friends during social gatherings.
• Cook for them if they are unable to prepare meals by themselves.
• Home safety should be one of your priorities, especially when taking care of elderly family members.