Is there any help for my parents?
CALLER: My dad is almost 80 now, and I think taking care of my mother is too much for him. He doesn’t complain but I can see how it is wearing on him. Mom is overweight and diabetic and has a lot of pain from arthritis. She uses a walker, but has trouble getting up and down and just moving around the house. Dad is doing all the cooking and shopping and cleaning, and trying to assist her when walking, getting up, and into the shower. I am there often – almost every weekend — but I have a job, three kids, and live an hour away. Neither they nor I can afford a home health aide, but I heard from a coworker that there is a program that can help them stay in their home. Is that true?
PATHFINDER: Great question! Yes, there is a Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program called Choices which can help low-income adults over age 65 stay in their own home. To be screened for eligibility you can call the Area Agency on Aging and Disability (AAAD) in your area. In Blount County, call (865) 251-4897.
| Area Agency on Aging & Disability, East Tennessee | Agency Web Site | (865) 251-4897 | Knoxville |
Choices can pay for: an assistant to work in the home and accompany your parent on trips in the community; help with the housekeeping, cooking and shopping; respite care so your father can have a caregiving break; a personal emergency response system; an adult day care program; home-delivered meals; assistive technology; pest control; community-based residential alternatives and minor home repairs such as bathroom modifications for safety and accessibility.
More details are found on the TennCare webpages discussing Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) here: https://www.tn.gov/tenncare/long-term-services-supports/choices.html.
There are nine different AAAD regional centers in Tennessee. In addition to counseling and screening for Choices, the AAAD agencies can connect eligible persons to the Options program.
The Options program can fund homemaker services, personal care, and home-delivered meals. Options does not have an income restriction, but there is a sliding fee scale which is based on income. Eligible persons are residents of Tennessee, who have a certain level of need in their ability to perform their activities of daily living. Like with Choices, Options participants are over 65, or over 18 who have physical or cognitive disability (excluding intellectual disability).
There are waiting lists at times for both programs. Call Pathfinder at 1-800-640-4636 for help connecting to your regional AAAD, and for locating other senior services.