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Caregiver for disabled
Okay, so after watching the fundamentals of caring, (a movie about a boy with muscular dystrophy who is wheelchair bound, and a caregiver to watch over him who also takes him to the world's lamest attractions around different states) I was genuinely curious if a caregiver would work with me as well. I, thankfully, am not wheelchair bound, but I do suffer from hypermobility syndrome, also known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (type 3).
I deal with daily dislocations, and I was wondering if I could potentially hire someone to help me out on days that are particularly not easy on my 16 y/o body.
(No, I am not asking for someone to take me across the country)
Does anyone know if this could be possible?
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Adviceman gave you good advice. I used to be a caregiver thru an agency. Some people used to get their caregiving help thru government paid programs and others are private pay. As of the past couple years with the economy and cutbacks, the government isn't paying for much any more. People who got full time help were being limited to one day or only a couple hours per week. And thus I had to leave that vocation as I wasn't getting the hours to survive on financially, when being sent to dozens of jobs per week on a regular basis and not paid for the time traveling between them.
Since you are 16, your parents are indeed still legally responsible for you but together with them, now would be the time to start looking at your options, even if you were to continue to live with them. To free them up occasionally, a caregiver would be a great help.
So talking to your Dr. is a good way to start, but you might also want to check with your local DSHS, Dept. of Social and Health Services to get an appointment with a social worker who may have a better grasp on what the government can help with and how you might qualify...your Dr. likely may not know. Those who qualify and have a social worker who is working with them will have regular scheduled visits with their social worker when their caregiver is present to ask a series of questions about how things are going. Its an evaluation to see if things are about the same, better or worse and you require more hours of care.
Having a sister who badly needs a full time caregiver but the state won't pay unless its to pay a family member willing to invest the time and training to get paid monthly to take care of you, and no one in her family has the time between their jobs. SHe used to get some gov. paid help with chores but that got canceled. So with the budget cuts, its best to check it out now so you'd know if you would need to hire privately and exactly what type of caregiver you want, like just the type to handle daily chores for you, or help with bathing, etc. or if you'd need someone with nursing experience who is qualified to help with the more complicated situations such as a paraplegic or quadraplegic which take lots more training in case their client is having a particular medical problem or emergency.
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Anything is possible if you are willing to pay for it. If you are asking you health insurance company to pay that is a different question. From what I read this is one of those illnesses that is commonly misdiagnosed and when diagnosed still misunderstood. Wherein lies the problem of possibly getting your insurance company to pay for a caregiver.
Being 16 your parents are your caregivers at least until your 18 and possibly longer under the new insurance regulations. The question I believe you should be asking is; once your parents are no longer legally responsible for you can you get a caregiver through some agency or insurance company.
TO do this I would suggest you start by talking with your doctor. He or she would first have to evaluate to what degree you are capable of caring for yourself and to what degree you need a caregiver. In other words to you need 24/7 care or just care to bath and other hygiene needs? Are you able to walk with a walker, cane or crutches? Can you climb stairs without assistance and so forth. All of this and other things go into deciding if and how much care assistance you need to be supplied with.
Starting now will save time later for the process is lengthy and loaded with red tape.
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You could probably find information on caretakers on sites about disability and such. Or maybe a hospital or clinic could point you in the right direction of where to look for them. There you might find people with experience and references instead of just trying to hire someone through craigslist or something.
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