Ask Mike - Can I get paid for helping my mother?

Dear Going to Illinois,

Thank you for writing. You say that your mother needs help with all sorts of things and that you are moving from California to Illinois to help her. You wonder if you can get paid as a personal attendant for helping your mother.

Go to our Help in My State web page for Illinois. You have several items from which to choose. It sounds like you would probably want to click on State Unit on Aging and then follow up with the contact information to ask your question. You could also click on Medicaid Agency, especially if your mother is under age 60.

Informally speaking, I raised your question with a colleague from Illinois. She said that if your mother is "aging" (I believe in Illinois this means age 60 or older) then the only services available are homemaker type services. This typically means cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., but does not include help with medications, transferring, toileting, and so on. She also said that family members weren't allowed to be paid.

Keep in mind that this is informal information, but it definitely sounds like you should check with appropriate officials in Illinois before moving to see if your mother's needs can be met by you. Likewise, the same is true if you need some sort of income in order to be able to help your mother.

Good luck. I hope things work out.

Mike Oxford