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If you’re a family caregiver looking support from the Michigan government, here is the list of programs I know about to day.
Yes, according to Laura Bates' Michigan Programs to Support Family Caregivers, there are support programs for caregivers available in Michigan, but typically easier to get State Caregiver Support when you have low income and Medicaid, than when you have High income and Medicare only. Take a look at the programs below.
The PACE Program is associated with the State of Michigan, and seems to be the move “All-Inclusive / Holistic” type of elder care available for people with Medicaid or Medicare or Both, or Just One and willing to pay out of pocket.
This provider-based health plan is open to residents ages 55 and over who live in a part of the state covered by one of Michigan’s PACE organizations. Although all PACE participants are eligible for nursing home care, 90 percent continue to live at home. Most participants are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
PACE Program has a nice website, but they have separate websites for different regions. So it’s hard to know what’s what these days. For example, you don’t know for sure which elder care options are available to you.
The Home Help Program is “for elderly and disabled Michigan residents that require assistance with their daily and instrumental living activities.” (direct quote from payingforseniorcare.com)
I believe the MI Choice Waver Program is available to individuals with $2,523 or less in monthly income. Individual assets limited to $2,000, you may be able to get support through MI Choice Home and Community Based Medicaid Waiver. An oversimplified way to put it is, Medicaid pays for home care services in an individual’s home.
Both the Home Help Program and MI Choice Waiver Program are actually part of the larger organization called, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS). Along your journey looking for caregiver support, MDHHS is the most common organization see over and over again.
MDHHS covers a huge range of services. On their website, elder care services are not as well covered as children's services. But in 2019, they did make 10-page PDF showcasing how MDHHS's Aging & Adult Services serve Michigan's aging population.
Michigan is home to over 14 different regions of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA), and I have evidence to suggest some regions may offer In-Home Direct Care.
The AAA 1-B in Southwest Michigan, for example, offers in-home care "for southeast Michigan families living in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties".
Through the Community Living Program, AAA 1-B partners with vulnerable seniors and their families to help them understand their long-term care options and come up with a plan to help older adults stay living safely in the community (their own home or apartment or with family members). [AAA 1-B]
You're probably here because you don't know where to look for caregiver support. You'll be happy to know the Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) is here to help you out.
They help you sort through all the confusing jargon, beurocracy, and paperwork that it takes to get the most out of your Medicare or Medicade.
Since Medicaid is intended for people with low income. And since Medicare is intended for everyone, and lots of Michiganders have both - it's a good thing they've housed both under the same roof.
You can better balance the benefits available to you. I look forward to giving them a call!
What used to be called the Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS) is now called the Disability Rights Michigan (DRM).
My first impression of DRM is it's tailored to adults living with physical disability, including but not particularly servicing the elderly with physical disability.
They do offer services to Michigan's adults with disabilities, and have experience dealing with adults' caregivers and guardians.
