Government Programs That Support Home Care

Living independently at home with a disability or chronic health condition is challenging for most people, but for those without enough family support or the financial means to pay for care, it can be impossible. So, instead of remaining in the comfort and familiarity of home, some people have no other option than to live in a facility, away from everything and everyone they love. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are several government-run waiver programs—federal, state, and local—that help pay for in-home assistive care for those who are at risk of going to an institution. The services may include help with personal care such as bathing and dressing, as well as with housekeeping and meal preparation.

North Carolina has two statewide in-home aide programs for those who meet the eligibility requirements—Personal Care Services program (PCS) and Community Alternatives Program (CAP).

You may also find assistance through your county’s department of social services or the Veterans Administration (VA), a federal-run program.

PCS recipient profile: BAYADA’s care keeps Joey Green safe at home with his family

Born with cerebral palsy and bound to a wheelchair, BAYADA client Joey Green, 50, receives care through the PCS program.  Joey’s BAYADA Home Health Aide Tiffany comes to his home in Shelby, where he lives with his mother Trudy, seven days a week to get Joey up out of bed every morning and help him with things like bathing, grooming, dressing, and getting around. Trudy is able to get him into bed at night, but if she didn’t have Tiffany’s help, Trudy wouldn’t be able to take care of Joey at home and would be forced to move him into a nursing facility.

“My husband used to be able to help move Joey, but we lost him to ALS in 2015,” Trudy told us. Almost 70 years old and a single leg amputee, Trudy’s physical ability to help her son is limited. Two years ago when Trudy fell and broke her hip, and went into rehab, her daughter applied for Medicaid assistance for Joey through the NC PCS program.

Now, the PCS program pays for assistive care services for Joey 80 hours per month, which averages to about three hours a day. “Having this help has made my life easier. If it weren’t for these Medicaid services, Joey would have to go into a home, and we would have to leave our house. I’ve been here for fifty years—I don’t want to leave,” Trudy says.

Trudy appreciates not only the care that Tiffany provides, but the consistency of having one dedicated caregiver. After going through two other agencies—one that went out of business and the other that sent more than 15 different aides over the course of a few months—Trudy feels confident and comfortable because Tiffany knows Joey’s needs so well.

“Tiffany does an excellent job and allows me to take care of things I need to do,” Trudy explains. “She takes wonderful care of Joey and takes him outside and helps him use the computer. She’s such a nice person and always reliable. I hope I never lose her.”

BAYADA has special expertise in assistive care state programs

At BAYADA, we believe everyone deserves a safe home life with comfort, independence, and dignity—and we mean everyone.  That’s why we have service offices and trained caregivers dedicated to providing home health care services to people like Joey who rely on state and federal government assistance programs to help pay for their care.

Our BAYADA service offices throughout North Carolina have great expertise in navigating the government waiver programs, helping our clients take full advantage of the benefits. We carefully match home health aides with the individual clients they can help the best, so that our clients can depend on reliable, consistent care. And the high-quality care they provide always is supervised by a registered nurse with expertise on each client’s health care needs.

Banner image: Joey Green with his BAYADA Home Health Aide Tiffany