Family members can be paid as caregivers with the start of the Enhanced Adult Foster Care(EAFC) program.

EAFC services are provided at home and include:

• Assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing, and other personal care.
• Instrumental activities of daily living such as medication management and food shopping.
• Nursing oversight
• Care management.

This new program is for elderly and disabled MassHealth members. Personal care services and supports are provided 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

Family caregivers are paid $ 1,500 a month, plus a room and board payment of $600.00 from the elderly or disabled person if that individual moves into the caregiver's home)for a total of $ 25, 200 a year). If the family caregiver moves into the elder's home, there is no room and board payment.

The elder or disabled person can attend adult day care 5 days a week and there is a limited respite care service of 14 days per year.

To qualify for the program, an elderly or disabled adult must need one of the following:

1. Physical assistance with three of the activities of daily living(ADLs) such as eating, bathing and dressing.

2. Physical assistance with two ADLs plus "management of behaviors" that require caregiver intervention.

Behaviors may include:

• Wandering
• Moving with no rational purpose seemingly oblivious to needs or safety
• Verbally abusive behavioral symptoms
• Theatening, screaming, or cursing at others.
• Physically abusive behavioral symptoms(hitting, shoving, or scratching).
• Socially inappropriate or disprutive symptoms(disruptive sounds, noisiness, screaming, self-abusive acts, disrobing in public,smearing or throwing food or feces, rummaging, repetitive behavior, or causing general disruptive .
• Resisting care.

There are requirements for the home and other responsibilities for the caregiver.

This program will limit nursing home admissions for some. For more information about EAFC go to:

www.masshomecare.org/athomedetail.asp?sequence=511

or 1-800-AGE-INFO(243-4636) and push "3".