Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
Is your sister disabled? Was she ever married? My understanding about Medicaid is it is a medical insurance for special groups. Indigent 65 and over being one group, however it does not pay money to the insured. If she can't draw SSI from a husband and has never worked she is not eligible for Social Security benefits according to their website. Does she drive? Have ID? Give us more information please for a better answer.
Your profile says that you live in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since you've got internet connection, you can start researching at the state's website with links to Medicaid information. On your duplicate question you state that your sister never earned any Medicare credits so you're right to start with Medicaid. this website looks like a good starting point with questions about where to go and who qualifies. http://mybenefits.hawaii.gov/medicaid-faqs/ from the website Who does Medicaid cover? Children, pregnant women, parent and caretaker relatives, adults, including the elderly (age 65 and older), blind, and disabled individuals are covered by Medicaid. What do I need to do to get Medicaid? Complete and submit an application. There are three options. 1) Medicaid applications can be downloaded from the Department of Human Services (DHS) website. To locate USPS mailing addresses and fax numbers for the Med-QUEST offices that accept applications, click here. This same contact information is printed on the Hawaii Medicaid application. Individuals also can 2) submit an on-line application at www.mybenefits.hawaii.gov; or 3) contact the Hawaii Connector Call Center (1-877-628-5076; TTY/TDD users call 1-855-585-8604) to receive assistance over the phone. This process takes an estimated 30-40 minutes to complete.
My sister was not married to her husband long enough to get his ss benefits. She has never worked long enough to earn social security or medicare on her own. She has lived in Texas with mom since she was born. Except for a couple years while she was married. I do not know how she will survive when mom passes on as her children do not want to take her in as she has no money to help them. I do not live in Texas. I live in Hawaii.
So Sissy is not disabled, so is she incompetent or not cognitive in some way that she is just unable to work, or make phone calls, emails, etc to find information or assistance on her own?
?'s ..... where they live now, is it your moms house? So it could be sold? Or are they renters? And can Sissy continue to live there if mom dies? Does mom have a life insurance policy and who is beneficiary? Just how are they paying monthly costs? Does mom have savings?
Or is the situation that they both are basically destitute except for whatever SS mom gets which is totally spent each month? If its this, probably after mom dies sissy could get single event TANF $ and then try to get onto & into subsidized housing. But there will likely be application processing time and a waiting list so there will a period of time that she is homeless & in some sort of shelter. It's a harsh reality. Unless her kids take her in. If she is in a bigger TX city, both Catholic Charities & Jewish family Services have pretty good outreach programs for homeless women & you can on-line contact them, but priority is for women with kids. If she appears able to work, she will have to work in some way either in-kind or actual wage to be on a state program.
josieg, Have social services in her county check on her welfare. I'm guessing she is not fully functional and will need a group home after mom is gone.
My sister is a high school dropout and is lazy and was never able to comprehend what would happen to her after parents passed on. She always had an excuse for why she coukd not work. They rent a house and have no insurance and no savings. The live on mom's social security and nothing else. I think my sister thought that a relative would provide for her after both parent were gone but we are all aware of her tactics and we do not want her. However she is my sister and I hate to see her homeless and on the streets but I also can not get a long with her as I tried to tell her so many times that she needed to get a job but she would not follow my advice.She can read and write but she has no computer ad would not know how to use it if she had one. When II ask her to contact agencies in her state to see what they offer she just ignores me because it is too much work. I am at the end of my rope, I do not know what else to do. I am worried that so,eone may give her money to buy a one way ticket to Hawaii and she will end up on my front porch and I am on social security myself and I am doing fine but to have another mouth to feed and to provide healthcare will really cause problems for me as living in Hawaii is not cheap.
josieg, I have been around the developmentally disabled for 50 years. Your sister has right side brain damage if she "was never able to comprehend what would happen" (sociopathic). The left side (reading and writing) can be fully intact even if the right side (attention, memory, reasoning, and problem solving ) is likely damaged.
I would like to thank everyone that has replied to my question. I am in contact with my nieces in Texas to see if a social worker can get in contact with my mom and sister. I hope they will be able to help. Thank you again
A person who is disabled, even though they are not yet 65 yrs. of age, can collect social security based on medical records and an examination by Social Security. This can be done without an attorney, you just need documentation (medical). This is called Social Security Disability (SSD) as opposed to social security insurance which either is Medicare (with social security benefits) or Medicaid (lower incomes) which is run by each state and called a different name based on the state. In AZ it is called ACCHS (access) and in CA it is MediCal. Now josieg - I too have lived in HI - on Oahu and without four pensions and military benefits (commissary), it is very difficult to live on just social security. Who do you think would buy your sister a one-way ticket to HI and end up on your doorstep? HI has the highest rate of drug use and distribution, and if one doesn't want to work this would be an idea location in which to live. Maybe your sister could sell drugs. At any rate, unless there is a medical reason why your sister cannot work, then she might become homeless unless she seeks help. God helps those who help themselves. Have the TX state's social worker (Area on Aging) make a house call and see what services might be available. Aloha.
I have a sister with similar attributes. She was also an alcoholic and addict, and she was able to get Social Security disability with a showing of seizure disorder and memory loss due to her addictions. With SSD, she was able to get Section 8 housing. That's what she lives on, and it's not much.
Your mother's SSI is for her lifetime only. It won't continue to your sister (or anyone else) after your mother dies. It is not uncommon for caregivers who give up employment to care for parents to end up in this situation; however, they generally can start their own SS when they turn 62. Your sister needs to focus on getting an independent source of income, whether SSD or employment.
If I understood the OP, the sister is ill prepared to be independent by her own lack of initiative/motivation. If a SW does visit, maybe they will find a diagnosable condition, but if it is chronic freeloader syndrome, she probably does not qualify for much/if any in the way of social benefits. If her own kid(s) won't open their home(s) to her, there may be a sound reason.
Unemployment is the main cause for not being able to find a job. This is the reason people cannot work, because they haven't been working and employers do not want to hire someone with spotty work history. Your sister isn't accustomed to working for an employer, so has not learned the usual know-how wisdom of how to act on the job, which can only happen by having a job to begin with. This also happens to caregivers who are out of the employment world for lengthy periods of time, and to people who spend long periods of time as full-time students steeped in academia. They are out of practice dealing with the hierarchy of the workplace, which is not the same as any other world they currently live in. It is not their fault. This is also true for people who have had long-term illnesses such as cancer, or for those incarcerated in prisons, or a person leaving an isolated abusive marriage after many years. Re-entry, for any reason, is extremely difficult. It's like you are going into a foreign country where no one speaks your language. I would suggest maybe job training in a field where she feels comfortable, where she is talented, where she finds others she gets along with. Or schooling in an area where she is talented. She is frightened and maybe shy, too. Maybe we need to be easy on her, and less judgemental.
ibeenscammed - I agree but disagree. My sister who's on SSD was never willing to work; she considered herself among a class of people who just weren't cut out for working. She's been living on a very limited income for many years, so she's always broke and will try to hit up family members for money whenever her needs exceed her means (e.g., her car breaks down, her teeth fall out, etc.) Since she's chronically broke, I've suggested many times that she should get a job. She has a special knack with hair and make-up, so I suggested cosmetology school or some similar training to help her become employable. She just won't do it. She never would. She says "I can't work. I'd lose my benefits. And anyway, I'm almost ready to retire!"
Point is, and I think the OP stated this clearly, her sister has never been willing to work. Whether she's employable is sort of a moot point if she won't even try. If she would try, then I agree with you that job training would be the way to go. Unfortunately, at least with my sister, it's a no-go.
Believe it or not, some people find it very difficult to work for reasons we cannot comprehend because we are not in their shoes. It's not a moral issue. Some people's very first jobs are extremely ill-fitting for them. For instance, if the job is fast-paced and they are not cut out for that, they may end up with a bad taste in their mouth for work in general. Jobs for women can be demeaning and lower pay than men. Most are subservient. Just looking through the job listings the other day, I found many required a driver's license. I can't see well enough to drive and that meant about 75% of the jobs I was well qualified for otherwise i couldn't even apply for. The longer I remain unemployed the worse my chances of employment become. I sure am not lazy, but I, too, am unemployed. A person's worthiness has nothing to do with the dollar amount of their paycheck.
ibeenscammed - Nobody's suggesting that the size of one's paycheck determines their worth. But I think it's a copout to say that people can get so traumatized by a job that they become unable to function at any job. There are many people out there who just don't want to work. You're not one of them, obviously. Neither am I, but I'm also unemployed.
Well, I'm retired and I'd like to be working. I'm tired of pinching pennies, and I enjoy being productive and having a place to go when I get up. But I have been turned off to certain types of work, notably working in a corporate setting where you are expected to market the company's offerings instead of just doing your actual job. I was recently offered a tax prep job and I turned it down because the corporate culture was just too off-putting. I offered to do taxes as a volunteer with the United Way instead.
That said, I would work, in the right environment. And I'd be a lot less picky about environment if I didn't have a pension and social security coming in every month. My sister, on the other hand, thinks that money is heaven-sent. Those that have it are obligated to share with those that don't. She's always disappointed (and outraged) that the rest of the family does not agree with that.
I've never understood how people who dont want to, or cant work get by on food stamps and section 8. My friend gets both, she is a divorced housewife alone in the world, falling apart car she really can't afford, part-time retail job. She has many emotional, or even mental issues. She struggles and struggles and struggles, getting groceries at the food pantry. I bring her groceries now and then and listen to her. She MUST have a job in order to get the just-barely-enough help she gets now. But she's 50, has no education, no training, several phobias, and I don't know what is going to happen to her if she gets sick, has an accident, is unemployed, or her car quits. Right now her life is: get up, work 4-6 hours, make money to go home, eat, sleep. Every other day, it's get up, work 4-6 hours, make money to go home, eat, sleep - do it all over the day after. Know what I mean? She wants to work, she would love to get a decent job, but she's 50, there are young kids right out of school who need jobs, and so she's about given up. And she can do many things, including home health care, but without a reliable car, how can she go driving around the county, in snow country? I don't know what's going to happen to her. It terrifies me to think of it. (sorry for going off track here, just wanted to put my 2 cents in about 'people who don't want to work or can't work'.)
ibeenscammed, I suggest you start volunteering. Many volunteer jobs count as employment if you have been there for 3 months or more. Also, it will help you polish up your skills, this will make you more employable. I don't know what you mean by demeaning, but work is work. I have worked at jobs a lot of other people would turn their nose up at. Also, go to your local Community College and find out if you can take some free courses to polish up your skills and get some employment help. I don't know how bad your eyesight is, but computers are usually designed to make print larger for people with vision problems.
She needs to go to her local Social Services. You don't say how old she is but she may qualify for. SSI which is a welfare. She will then get Medicaid. She will get help with housing and food stamps. Your parents are the problem. They didn't do ur sister any favors. She is now on her own and her children should help her get set up. Not saying they should take her in or support her just point her in the right direction. Office of aging can help too. Please don't feel quilty u can't help. She is where she is because she was lazy. Just explain to everyone you cannot financially take care of her since u live in high income area. Say NO.
Hmm...I happen to feel that the haves should share since when I was kid I was taught to share my toys, or share my lunch if another child was hungry. These days I figure the best i can do is to set a good example. Giving stuff away, whether it's a service such as teaching or clothing or food or a hug just plain feels good. Or a smile or laughter. Try it.
I do volunteer, MaryKathleen. A lot, and enjoy it very much. I also teach. In fact I feel that to do something of value is more important to me than how much I am paid. Some work is truly demeaning. My friend did that, and found it wrecked her life.
Lassie, you are right. Imagine those who aren't on section 8 or HUD. Sec 8 is a ten-year waiting list, or more, or you can't even get on that waiting list in some areas. Very few get on it in fewer than ten. HUD is one year for elderly in some communities, in others, eight years or more, family housing can be very long as well. This means finding something very substandard on a fixed or low income, or living on the streets or with relatives. Yes, while it looks like "not wanting to work" people just don't know what to do. Many people in the mental health system get it drilled into their heads that they can't work, but really they can. They are even forced into "programs" that take up all their time and energy so there's no time left for a job. Or, with no notice whatsoever, taken to hospitals against their wills. Or some people can't work due to the side effects of drugs they don't even really want to take. It's not a matter of laziness, it's the System that controls and manipulates these folks. It really is a crime, and who pays? Taxpayers. This is why taxpayers need too say NO, no more, the System needs to stop putting people out of work, stop treating people like they're subhuman and incapable, and start giving people real jobs and real homes. That will cost all of us less.
Not to defend anyone, including Josie's sister, but there could also be another factor: her sister may have expected to get married and never have to work outside of the home. Assuming she was born in 1966, 12 years later in 1978, she would have entered the market when women still weren't holding as many professional jobs but were still primarily in the pink collar ghetto.
I recall that time quite well. It was difficult to get out of clerical work and into professional work. There still was prejudice against women moving into professional level positions.
All other personal issues aside, she may never have wanted to enter the working world in the first place, never found clerical work appealing or tolerable, never found the right man to support her, or maybe just didn't feel like dealing with the issue. Sometimes people never grow up, and that's not a criticism of Josie's sister, but just an observation.
ibeenscammed - I agree that giving things away feels good, and in general, the haves should share with the have nots. However, when someone refuses to work their entire life and then expects family members to help out when they have a crisis, I think is unreasonable. My sister isn't poor because she was disadvantaged in some way. She's poor because she never believed in working. The rest of us put ourselves through school, got jobs, kept them even if we didn't like them, and supported ourselves and our families. When I had money to spare I did help her, but now that I'm retired my generosity has been cut back quite a bit. I have enough for myself. I don't have enough for anyone to leech off me.
Ferris, to get SSD you have to have worked 40 quarters. If u never worked or not enough quarters you can apply for SSI, which is a welfare. My nephew applied for SSI and SSD and eventually got SSD. No, u don't need a lawyer but will probably be turned down the first time. Then u need a lawyer. The money you eventually receive is retro to the first time u applied. Then u receive monthly payments. The lawyer is entitled to a percentage of the retro no more than 6000. In my nephew's instance, he had to go before a board to prove his disability that he was born with. Can be a very long process.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
http://mybenefits.hawaii.gov/medicaid-faqs/
from the website
Who does Medicaid cover?
Children, pregnant women, parent and caretaker relatives, adults, including the elderly (age 65 and older), blind, and disabled individuals are covered by Medicaid.
What do I need to do to get Medicaid?
Complete and submit an application. There are three options. 1) Medicaid applications can be downloaded from the Department of Human Services (DHS) website. To locate USPS mailing addresses and fax numbers for the Med-QUEST offices that accept applications, click here. This same contact information is printed on the Hawaii Medicaid application. Individuals also can 2) submit an on-line application at www.mybenefits.hawaii.gov; or 3) contact the Hawaii Connector Call Center (1-877-628-5076; TTY/TDD users call 1-855-585-8604) to receive assistance over the phone. This process takes an estimated 30-40 minutes to complete.
?'s ..... where they live now, is it your moms house? So it could be sold? Or are they renters? And can Sissy continue to live there if mom dies? Does mom have a life insurance policy and who is beneficiary? Just how are they paying monthly costs? Does mom have savings?
Or is the situation that they both are basically destitute except for whatever SS mom gets which is totally spent each month? If its this, probably after mom dies sissy could get single event TANF $ and then try to get onto & into subsidized housing. But there will likely be application processing time and a waiting list so there will a period of time that she is homeless & in some sort of shelter. It's a harsh reality. Unless her kids take her in. If she is in a bigger TX city, both Catholic Charities & Jewish family Services have pretty good outreach programs for homeless women & you can on-line contact them, but priority is for women with kids. If she appears able to work, she will have to work in some way either in-kind or actual wage to be on a state program.
It sounds as though your sister is mentally ill. I'm with Pam. I'd call social services to check on them BOTH.
Your mother's SSI is for her lifetime only. It won't continue to your sister (or anyone else) after your mother dies. It is not uncommon for caregivers who give up employment to care for parents to end up in this situation; however, they generally can start their own SS when they turn 62. Your sister needs to focus on getting an independent source of income, whether SSD or employment.
Point is, and I think the OP stated this clearly, her sister has never been willing to work. Whether she's employable is sort of a moot point if she won't even try. If she would try, then I agree with you that job training would be the way to go. Unfortunately, at least with my sister, it's a no-go.
Well, I'm retired and I'd like to be working. I'm tired of pinching pennies, and I enjoy being productive and having a place to go when I get up. But I have been turned off to certain types of work, notably working in a corporate setting where you are expected to market the company's offerings instead of just doing your actual job. I was recently offered a tax prep job and I turned it down because the corporate culture was just too off-putting. I offered to do taxes as a volunteer with the United Way instead.
That said, I would work, in the right environment. And I'd be a lot less picky about environment if I didn't have a pension and social security coming in every month. My sister, on the other hand, thinks that money is heaven-sent. Those that have it are obligated to share with those that don't. She's always disappointed (and outraged) that the rest of the family does not agree with that.
I recall that time quite well. It was difficult to get out of clerical work and into professional work. There still was prejudice against women moving into professional level positions.
All other personal issues aside, she may never have wanted to enter the working world in the first place, never found clerical work appealing or tolerable, never found the right man to support her, or maybe just didn't feel like dealing with the issue. Sometimes people never grow up, and that's not a criticism of Josie's sister, but just an observation.