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Elderly Waiver and Alternative Care
Programs Help Seniors Pay for Services to Stay in Their
Homes
Do you need services that help older
people stay in their homes? You should know about Minnesota's
Elderly Waiver and Alternative
Care assistance programs. These programs
also help pay for services that aid spouses and others
who are caring for senior family members.
Both programs
assist people over 65 who are at risk of needing nursing
home care. The Elderly Waiver program serves
people who are eligible for Medical Assistance. Availability
is limited, but services are free.
Seniors do not have to be eligible for Medical
Assistance to be eligible for the Alternative Care program.
Income
and assets are considered, however, and there may be a
charge for some services.
Determining Eligibility
The first step
in qualifying for this kind of assistance is to have a
Long-Term Care Consultation. These are available,
free of charge, to people of all income levels. They are
conducted by county teams made up of at least one social
worker and one public health nurse.
During each consultation, the team:
- provides information
about local long-term care options,
- arranges
an in-person visit to assess needs and help plan services,
and
- offers information about public programs
that can help pay for services.
To arrange for a consultation,
you’ll need to connect
with your county or senior services. Make a toll-free
call to the Senior LinkAge Line, 1-800-333-2433, to
find out
who to contact in your area.
Elderly Waiver and Alternative Care assistance applies
to a wide variety of services. Among these are:
- visits
by a skilled nurse,
- home
health aide services
- personal care assistants,
- companion services,
- homemaker services,
- home-delivered meals,
- transportation,
- medical supplies and equipment,
- home modifications,
- adult foster care services, and
- assisted living
services.
Family assistance
includes caregiver support and training, adult day services,
and respite care.
For more information about Elderly Waivers
and Alternative Care, call your county's health or human
services agency.
(Look in the phone book in the blue "government" pages
for your county's listing.) Or call the Senior LinkAge
Line 1-800-333-2433.
Information is available in other
forms to people with disabilities at 1-800-882-6262 or
through the Minnesota
Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529 (TDD), 711 or 1-877-627-3848
(speech-to-speech relay service).
The Minnesota Department
of Human Services’ web site,
www.dhs.state.mn.us, is a rich source of information about
these and other programs. Click on the section labeled
AGING at the top of the page.
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