Planning for hospice

I hope so too. They have been a blessing for us. Is there any possibility of also getting an aide in periodically? Hospice is great but they don't provide aides for companionship or helping with all ADLS. My husband's nurse comes once or twice a week. The CNA comes twice weekly to shower him. The bulk of his day-to-day care is handled by me or his home health aide (who is not from hospice). I would say I still handle 80% or more of his incontinence issues (though hospice does provide the diapers). Please don't be discouraged by that - hospice will still be a huge help.

I don't have experience with palliative care, only hospice. Hopefully someone with experience can jump in and correct me if I'm wrong. I don't believe palliative care provides home health aides (but it doesn't hurt to ask). We have an aide covered by insurance because I went through the process of getting my husband qualified for longterm care Medicaid.

W

What state are you in? California has loosened the rules somewhat for elderly disabled applying for medi-cal, California's medicaid. It is worth talking a specialist in your state.

It's definitely worth a consult with an elder law attorney (CELA if you can find one). They will be the expert in your state's Medicaid system. I never thought we'd qualify, but through careful planning and financial management with our attorney, I was able to move necessary assets out of my husband's name and jump through all our state's hoops to get him qualified. Do not start "spend-down" without a consult. Ours included movement of funds to a Medicaid-compliant annuity.

@mpang123 While hospice is a wonderful idea— they'll provide supplies, medications and a team to provide care, it is not a round-the-clock service. You may need to supplement this privately by hiring an overnight caregiver to allow mom to sleep or taking over the overnights for her.

One of my friends cared for her mom who had very fractured sleep— she's walk up to use the bathroom and then dress for the day and require supervision at 2am. Her son was home for a semester between graduation and grad school, so they split the nights with her heading to bed at 8pm and her son handling off the iPhone with the motion detector app when he retired at 2-3am.