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Mom or Dad can't live alone anymore

How to tell the difference between a bad week and a genuine change in what is safe.

Quick answer

How to tell the difference between a bad week and a genuine change in what is safe.

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Home›By Situation›Mom or Dad can't live alone anymore

This is rarely one moment. It is usually an accumulation that becomes undeniable, often to one sibling before the others.

Short answer

How to tell the difference between a bad week and a genuine change in what is safe.

What to do, in order

  1. Write down what you have actually seen. Dates and specifics, not impressions.
  2. Rule out the reversible things first. Urinary tract infection, medication interaction, dehydration, untreated hearing loss and depression all mimic decline in older adults.
  3. Separate what is unsafe from what is untidy. A house that has become messy is not the same finding as a stove left on, a missed medication week, or a fall nobody was told about.
  4. Test the middle options before the big one. In-home care a few days a week, or adult day services through Indiana's PathWays Waiver, often buys a year.

Questions families ask

What is RCAP and how is it different from the PathWays Waiver?

The Residential Care Assistance Program (RCAP) is Indiana's Medicaid-funded room-and-board assistance for RCF residents. It pairs with, but is separate from, the PathWays Waiver, which pays for care services. A facility can hold a PathWays agreement, an RCAP agreement, both, or neither -- ask specifically which apply.

Is Indiana's Medicaid expansion (HIP) the same as long-term care Medicaid for seniors?

No. The Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Indiana's ACA expansion effective February 1, 2015, covers adults 19-64 based on income. Long-term-care Medicaid for seniors uses a separate, non-MAGI aged/blind/disabled eligibility pathway with different asset and income rules. The two are frequently and incorrectly conflated.

Is there a waitlist for Indiana's PathWays Waiver?

Yes, historically. At the program's July 2024 launch, 9,015 people were on the PathWays waiting list statewide out of 39,842 total slots. Current waitlist figures change; confirm today's status with CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, the Area Agency on Aging serving this region.

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