PACE and LIFE in NJ, is this my only hope?

suza

As I try to learn "what can be" for my elderly Mom who is caring for my Dad with vascular dementia….I feel I am loosing precious time. Time is focused on the worst instead of connecting with my Father.

Should anything happen to my Mom, I need to have an emergency plan in place. My parents do not have a plan.

Has anyone utilized PACE or the sister program LIFE in southern NJ? I am trying to learn about it…but I do not live in NJ and so far it has bad reviews, especially with billing. Has this been true for anyone?

ARIL

You might try calling the relevant Area Agency on Aging. Here is the info on New Jersey:

https://nj.gov/humanservices/doas/services/a-k/agencies-on-aging/

People on this forum are from all over the US and the world, so you might luck out and get a New Jersey resident to respond, but maybe not. (Where I live, PACE is our bus service, so I am of no help with the specifics here!)

You may also get good advice from the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline:

https://www.alz.org/help-support/resources/helpline

They can offer information about local resources.

Sorry you are facing all this. People here do understand! You will want to get legal issues in order as a top priority—a durable power of attorney, HIPAA authorizations, etc.

suza

Thank you Aril. I hope that someone from NJ will respond to this post. In the meantime I will keep trying.

SDianeL

I would contact an Elder Care Attorney. They can give you info about ways to pay for long term care, Medicaid, trusts, etc. You also might try posting this question on the Caring for a Spouse section of this forum as there are more posts there and more people will see it. You can also search all the sections of this forum for terms like PACE up at the top.

harshedbuzz

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here but pleased you found this place.

You need a solid plan B. One that would be executable on-the-fly. One third of caregivers die before their LO; and many more are unable to continue because of their own health related to an injured or serious illness.

If you're dad cannot be independent, the LIFE programs are not appropriate for him. LIFE is intended for elderly folks who need assistance, not custodial care. They can provide limited light housekeeping, meal prep, transportation, social programing, limited nursing and PT/OT care in home, assistance with hygiene but it's not 24/7 supervision in home. They might be useful in the very early stages, but if dad wanders, falls prey to scammers or is incontinent, he'll need 24/7 care from aides he funds, to be placed in a MCF or move in with a family member willing to be a 24/7 caregiver.

Assuming you have a DPOA for dad and can act on his behalf, if he might need Institutional Medicaid at some point, I would have a talk with a CELA near you and figure out if what NJ offers is significantly better than where you are. Ideally, a POA needs to be geographically local to the PWD. If you're in say the Philly suburbs it might make sense to keep him in NJ as Medicaid MCFs exist there and don't in PA. But if you're more than an hour away, I'd plan to move him.

HB

suza

Thank you both for the excellent information. I really do need to have the Plan B in place and solid points were raised on MCFs, understanding the growing need of care and and reposting to possibly get some info on PACE. TY again for taking time to read and respond.

H1235

The DPOA is very important. I would think your mom would need one for you dad with you as secondary( or maybe primary), but it would also be a good idea for you to have one for your mom. I also want to point out that Al and mc facilities can have a waiting list. If you think there is any chance Medicaid may be needed to cover care I would start looking into it. Al and mc are not covered by Medicaid in all states, leaving the ugly option of a nursing home. It’s complicated and each state is a bit different. A lawyer can help with Medicaid planning. For example mom was advised to do a prepaid funeral. I know nothing about the programs you mentioned, but from the description harshedbuzz gives they may be something that would be helpful to your mom as she navigates caring for your dad. There is so much to consider. You can do it.