Does Medicare Cover Respite Care Services?
Caregiving for an individual who is terminally ill or who has severe intellectual or developmental disabilities, while rewarding, can also be difficult on the caregiver over time. Caregivers are also people, with lives of their own, and may at times require a break from their duties for personal reasons or due to illness. In these situations, it’s vital that caregivers have access to care options for their loved ones or clients. This is where respite care services can be an invaluable resource. However, if not properly filed with medicare, respite care can also an extremely costly solution. Let’s dig into respite care services and how Medicare can be properly leveraged to maintain caregivers’ ability to provide quality care.
What Is Respite Care and Why Is It Important?
For individuals who require constant care, the responsibility for daily care often falls on a loved one. Caregivers can also be professionals hired by families to take care of an individual on an ongoing basis. Regardless of their relationship to those they care for, caregivers are hard-working individuals who at times will need the chance to recharge mentally or recover from an illness themselves. As people with lives, there might also be occasions where a caregiver needs to attend an event or take some time away. In these cases, in order to maintain the necessary level of care, it’s appropriate to engage the services of a respite care service provider.
Provided by highly-trained individuals qualified to provide the appropriate level of care, respite care is offered in a variety of settings. Professionals respite caregivers can provide oversight and care in group residences, family homes, or in a natural home, giving the primary caregiver the chance to attend to whatever issue they need to address.
Medicare and Respite Care Services
Depending upon the individual’s illness or related conditions, a plan of care designed by a hospice team should be in place as to what ongoing care is necessary. Once it has been established that ongoing medical care is required, the plan of care can include provisions for respite care as needed, and thus fall under the umbrella of Medicare as a covered expense, to an extent.
Allowed Length of Respite
Each state’s policies vary and the Hands of Heartland state representative is available to provide more information to our families.
Giving Nebraska’s Caregivers a Rest
At Hands of Heartland, we understand how much caregivers put into the day-to-day care of those who need them. Our respite care services ensure that caregivers for individuals who are terminally ill or adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs in and around Omaha and Bellevue have access to the support they need in order to stay healthy and mentally fit.