Staying Independent - What Minnesota Seniors Should Know About Available Services and Financial Assistance

What Services Can Help Me Stay Independent
No matter where you live--your own home or some type of senior community--a wide variety of services are available to help you continue to live an independent, active and meaningful life. Some of these services are:

• Meals and homemaking services;
  
• Friendly visitors and telephone reassurance programs;
  
• Delivery services for things such as prescriptions and groceries;
  
• Personal care services (for example, help with dressing and bathing), nursing services, other home care services, and case management;
  
• Adult day services programs, which can provide social and health-related services;
  
• Respite programs, which can be provided either in your home or in another setting, to enable a family caregiver to do errands or take some personal time away;
  
• Transportation;
  
• Other types of assistance, such as help with paying bills and filling out insurance forms; and
  
• Security and safety services, such as home security systems, personal emergency response systems and various types of monitoring systems.

If you live in your own home, you may also want to access chore services, yard and lawn maintenance services, or energy assistance.

Information on these services is available by calling the Senior Linkage Line^R at 1-800-333-2433.

What If I Cannot Afford These Services?
If your income is limited and you have trouble paying for rent, food, medicine or other necessities, you should contact the Social Security Administration and your county human services office to see if you may be eligible for any programs that would supplement your income or that would pay for services you need. In addition to programs to supplement your income, such as the federal Supplemental Security Income program and Minnesota Supplemental Assistance, there are a variety of programs to help pay for needed services, such as medical services, home care and similar services, rent, food, heat and more. Applications for most of these programs are available from your local Social Security Office or your county. If you need other assistance, call the Senior Linkage Line^R at 1-800-333-2433.

Who Pays for Home Care or Assisted Living Services?
At one time or another, many seniors may need home care services when they are recovering from an illness or accident, or if they suffer from a chronic problem. Those who need ongoing, long-term help with services such as cooking, housekeeping, and assistance with dressing, grooming, bathing, medications and more may find that housing-with-services settings with on-site home care services will meet their needs. Often people pay for home care or assisted living services out of their own pocket. Under certain circumstances for persons who meet the eligibility requirements, home care services may be covered by:

• Medicare
  
• Veteran's Administration
  
• Your health plan or private health insurance
  
• Medical Assistance (Medicaid), including the Elderly Waiver program
  
• Minnesota's Alternative Care Program

Minnesota's Elderly Waiver or Alternative Care programs can pay for assisted living services for eligible seniors. Some insurance policies are beginning to cover assisted living services as well. Medicare typically pays only for home care services that are needed on a short-term basis (for example, for a few weeks after surgery), and usually does not cover the ongoing services needed by people with chronic disabilities.

Before the services begin, you should ask your home care provider to tell you what the cost of your services will be and whether the cost will be covered by any of the payment sources listed above. For more information about assistance in paying for home care or assisted living services, contact your county human services agency.

What Assistance is Available to Help Pay for Housing Costs?
If you are on a limited income, you may be eligible for rental assistance through a federal program, such as HUD's Section 8 program, or you may find an apartment building that has been built under a government program that keeps rents affordable. Minnesota's Group Residential Housing program is also available to help pay the lodging and raw food costs for very low-income people (generally those who qualify for the federal Supplemental Security Income program) living in certain residential buildings, including those with assisted living programs. If you are a homeowner and need to supplement your income or pay for home care or other services, you may be able to take advantage of a "reverse mortgage," which will enable you to use the equity in your home to help pay your expenses or supplement your income.

If you need assistance in finding affordable housing, call the Senior Linkage Line^R at (800) 333-2433. Information on eligibility for the Group Residential Housing program is available from your county.

Source: Aging Services of Minnesota, July 2010