Financial assistance for in home respite care

Financial Assistance for In home Care for Parkinson Patients
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative progressive disease that has no known cure. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder.

Currently there are 35,000 people in Michigan who have Parkinson's disease and the incidence is growing. It is estimated that within 13 years, 70,000 people in Michigan will have Parkinson's. The average age of onset is 58. If an otherwise healthy individual with no other chronic disease is diagnosed with PD at the age of 58, the life expectancy for a male is 80 and a female is 84.

There is no cure and the disease gets progressively worse. While the symptoms can be treated with medication, there is no treatment to slow the progression of the disease. Generally people do not die from Parkinson's but in advanced PD, they are often wheelchair or bed bound. They are dependent upon a spouse or family member for assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medications, transferring from bed to chair, toilet, and wheelchair.

Two thirds of those diagnosed are male; often requiring the spouse to be a caretaker. Typically, this coincides with the time period when the spouse is battling their own health care issues related to aging.

The Michigan Parkinson Foundation currently provides financial support for day time adult respite care centers. These programs are for day time only and while the program is helpful for some, the greater need is for assistance inside the home; especially as the task of leaving the home becomes a hardship in itself.
Initialed in January 2018, the Michigan Parkinson Foundation provides limited financial assistance for in-home respite care for those who qualify.

Our program will be a short-term option for a spouse or care partner. It is intended to provide relief for situations such as care partner's own medical procedure, hospitalization, day surgery, etc.; family social event wedding, funeral. OR it could be a one day a week for four hours a day so that a care partner can do errands or take care of personal needs. The program is not intended to be anyone's long-term solution.
Delivery of Services-Home Instead
The MPF contracts with a home health care company to provide the service.
Level One Care: Meal prep, light housekeeping, medication reminders, incidental transportation, outings and activities.

• Level Two Care: Level 1 services and basic dementia care, bathing, dressing, continence care, toileting, transferring, ambulation assistance, and eating/feeding.

• Level Three Care: Level 1 & level 2 services and advanced dementia care, bed care, hoyer lift care, tube feeding and other specialized care needs.

MPF Financial Assistance Stipend
The MPF would pay 65% and the client would pay 35% of the fee.
The home care company would invoice MPF and the client accordingly. The MPF would pay for up to 72 hours of care or $1,080 per year per family. The home care company invoices the MPF and the client.

Client Qualification
The family member must have physician diagnosed Parkinson's disease and be referred to the MPF by a health care professional. They must complete an application and provide income and asset verification.
The program is restricted to those with income less than 300% of the poverty level:

Single person: Income less than $36,180 per year
Married couple: Income less than $48,720 per year.
Our goal is to provide in home respite care for up to 7 days in a calendar year for any location in Michigan.

Volunteer Training, Research and Advocacy Programs for Long-Term Care Communities

Community 360 recruits, screens and trains long-term volunteers for nursing homes in the Omaha, Nebraska metro area. Our trusted volunteers' weekly visits make a meaningful difference in the lives of senior residents who, too often, have no one else. Trained volunteers are also a valuable source of support to the care staff in providing person-centered activities. Community 360's Give65 goal of $8,500 will fund the ongoing training and placement of these weekly volunteers, as well as national research and advocacy programs to demonstrate the positive impact of a credentialed-volunteer program on senior well-being and care outcomes in nursing homes.

Blair Senior Services Home Delivered Meals

There are family members, neighbors and friends in our community with limited resources who need your help. As we age, things that we take for granted such as bathing, a hot meal and transportation, become a real challenge. Unfortunately, government funding is not sufficient to meet the needs that exist in our community. The Home Delivered Meals Program is one of the most basic ways that Blair Senior Services, Inc. can accomplish its mission of meeting the nutritional needs and improving and maintaining the health and well-being of older individuals in our community. Over the last year, the Agency has served some 10,000 consumers. Of those consumers, 7,000 are older individuals, the majority of which have incomes near or below the poverty level. We're asking for your help as our Agency strives to continue to our county's older residents.

Aid for our Aging

Ability Found is seeking support to enhance its services to seniors in need of durable medical equipment. Seniors served by this program are living at or below the poverty level, making access to necessary equipment next to impossible. Seniors in need rely on Ability Found to locate, refurbish, deliver, install and/or fit durable medical equipment so they can enjoy a greater quality of life.

Every gift makes a difference...and your funds go a long way. With a donation of just $350, Ability Found is able to locate, deliver, install and provide instruction to a senior who is in need of two bathroom grab bars, a bedside commode, a shower chair and a wheeled walker. This is life-changing for these folks!

Support from the general public makes the work of Ability Found possible for seniors in West Valley City and surrounding communities. Please join Ability Found in its efforts to give our grandparents, parents, neighbors, and friends the safety, freedom and independence they so deserve. Your generosity is very much appreciated by the Ability Found staff, and the seniors they serve.