County’s caregiver support funds underutilized
Frank and Connie Zielinski, of Cabot, are both retired and mainly living on Social Security and disability payments, which makes affording supplies and services for Connie’s dementia difficult.
Frank Zielinski said a search for help led him to the Butler County Area Agency on Aging, which provides assistance through a state program offering resources to residents who are a primary caregiver to a person with whom they have an ongoing relationship.
The Caregiver Support Program funds help the Zielinskis cover up to 60% of eligible expenses relating to Connie’s dementia.
“It's for anything I need for my wife, her dementia, anything she would possibly need to take care of her,” Frank Zielinski said. “Lotion for her, pads for her, any kind of supplemental drinks, anything that she would possibly need for her health.”
While he was able to find help through the agency, a lot of the money available through the Butler County caregiver funds goes unused because people are unaware of the program, agency officials said.
Sarah Pierwsza, clinical supervisor for the Area Agency on Aging, said there are three areas of need the Caregiver Support Program serves — care receivers age 60 and over with functional deficits, receivers under 18 who are not the biological children of the caregiver, and receivers who are between the ages of 18 and 59 with a disability.
The Zielinskis fall under category three, which Pierwsza said is the most underused in the Caregiver Support Program, even though many county residents could fall under the eligibility requirements.
“For each caregiver, there is a possibility of up to $600 a month reimbursement,” Pierwsza said. “Financial eligibility is based on total gross income of household size of caregiver receiver. Percentage of reimbursement is calculated using a sliding scale based on the federal poverty level.”
Beth Herold, administrator of the Butler County Area Agency on Aging, said at a meeting of the advisory board the agency plans to send out flyers to in-home medical providers to promote the availability of caregiver funds.
“The caregiver program here in Butler County — we have a hard time spending all our caregiver funds,” Herold said. “So we’re really doing a push trying to get more people to sign up for that program.”
Frank Zielinski said he has been a client of the Caregiver Support Program for about a year. As a client, he meets with agency case workers every few months to budget for his wife’s needs and expenses.
“Examples of services may be respite care, personal care services, adult day living services,” Pierwsza said. “Supplies may be nutritional supplements, over the counter medications.”
Respite care, Pierwsza said, involves a caregiver hiring an individual to come to their home to care for their care receiver. Frank Zielinski said he hasn’t used funds for this purpose yet, but it could be a good option in the future.
“If I need help in the house or if I have to go away for anything, they bring in a person who can help out,” Frank Zielinski said.
Pierwsza said in addition to helping people financially, the Caregiver Support Program also provides emotional support to caregivers through regular meetings with case workers and regular communication with the Area Agency on Aging office.
“It aims to reduce the stress both emotionally and financially by developing a care plan with the caregiver that encompasses informal and formal supports,” Pierwsza said.
Frank Zielinski said the program has been helpful in making a long-term plans for caring for his wife.
“I think the program is really good for the people who need it; it really helps out,” he said.
