Living Independently
Financial and Legal Services to Protect
People with Disabilities in their Homes
by Lisa Schmidtke
For many disabled Americans
living in their home, their main asset IS their home. Therefore,
every legal and financial measure must be taken to protect the nest
egg that allows them to live with freedom and independence. From
daily money management to establishing a will, decisions should be
made with care, including hiring trustworthy consultants. Seek out
organizations that work specifically with people with disabilities; here are
a few to get you started.
A Little Help provides
in-home, professional, confidential personal everyday money management
and household management services for seniors in the Twin Cities.
They’ll balance your checkbook, pay your
bills and monitor medical bills. Outside the Twin Cities, Elder Circle
provides conservator/guardianship and health care directive services
to Itasca County residents who are not able to manage their finances
or personal care needs. The first step in managing finances is getting
organized. The Daily Care-LogTM Complete Caregiving Diary is a calendar
book that includes logging for caregiver scheduling, household management,
medical team contact information, meal planning, medications, exercise,
recreational activities and more.
These life management
tasks could overwhelm any household, but are particularly vital
to people who are a target for fraud and identity theft. That’s why it’s
important to seek out legal services that not only protect your
assets but also your name. Pre-Paid Legal offers legal service
plans providing access to justice for individuals and families
with a special emphasis on their Identity Theft ShieldSM, where
you get regular monitoring of your credit report.
Once your home finances are in order, you can now seek out funding
for additional allowable services that provide needed support to
individuals. Medical Assistance (MA) is a state health care program
for disabled and elderly Minnesotans who have limited income and
assets. MA helps pay for health care costs not covered by Medicare
or other payers. It pays for certain home health services such as
assistance with personal care, medication setup and administration,
other nursing services, and speech, physical, and occupational therapies.
MA also helps pay for nursing home costs if you have limited income
and assets. Establish a relationship with a Long-Term Care Ombudsman,
who advocates for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes,
assisted living facilities, and similar adult-care facilities. For
assistance with waiver services contact the MN Dept. of Human Services
Disabilities Division or Opportunity Partners Consumer Directed Support
Services. From understanding the requirements of state and country
waiver programs to managing the programs and resources to connecting
families with quality services, they understand the systems. They
can provide the support coordination and can serve as the legally
required Fiscal Intermediary/Employer of Record.
You’ll often find your
best resources through word-of-mouth, so don’t be afraid to
open up a discussion with trusted friends and family. Financial or
legal discussions may seem uncomfortable, but with the influx of
choices in medical care comes confusion, risk and paperwork. ![]()
Resources
A Little Help: www.alittlehelpinc.com
ElderCircle:
www.eldercircle.org
Pre-Paid Legal: www.prepaidlegal.com
MN Dept. of Human Services Disabilities
Division: www.dhs.state.mn.us
Opportunity Partners Consumer Directed
Support Services: www.opportunities.org
The Daily CareLogTM Caregiving
Diary: www.osspublishing.com
Lisa Schmidtke is the President
and Founder of House-calls Network. Their Web site, www.housecalls-network.com,
contains a directory of resources that can help the growing population
of seniors, people with disabilities and their caregivers live independently.
House-calls Network also sells aids for daily living and adaptive
clothing.
Lisa Schmidtke can be reached by e-mail at lisa@housecalls-network.com or by phone at 952-221-0722. Housecalls Network does not endorse
any particular provider. They assume no responsibility for transactions
between the readers of this article and listed organizations.
