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How Much Is a Family Caregiver Worth?

Tampa Bay Times

Patty Wallace gets $2,000 a month from her 81-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia, to provide round-the-clock care. It’s known as a “personal services contract,” and it not only compensates the caregiver, but redistributes assets so the elderly parent can qualify for Medicaid coverage at a nursing home later on. Critics say it’s too easy to cheat the system, and now state lawmakers want to put more restrictions on these arrangements, the Tampa Bay Times reports.  
 

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.