In Michigan, thousands of family members wake up every day and decide to do something extraordinary. They show up for someone they love. However, most of them do it without any recognition. But not anymore, because the Home Help Program is changing that.
Providing caregiving services in Michigan is not just about professionals, but also parents who struggle with their daily living activities and need support from their children, relatives, or neighbours. A daughter helping her mother bathe, a son moving back home just to make sure his parents are all right, a neighbour checking on someone who has no one.
All these people are Michigan caregivers. Through the Michigan Home Help Program, administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), these people can receive meaningful financial support for the care they are already providing. Hayaat Home Care helps families understand the program and provides proper guidance regarding eligibility and the access process.
Who is considered a caregiver in Michigan?
Michigan prioritizes every individual who takes care of an adult struggling with daily living activities. Michigan does not narrow down the definition. In the context of the Home Help Program, a caregiver can be anyone, a professional, or a personal, whoever provides hands-on assistance to an adult or disabled family member.
- Adult Children
Children who provide daily support to an aging parent living at home.
- Siblings
Assisting a brother or a sister with physical/mental disability, or a serious illness.
- Close Friends
Friends or non-relatives who can primarily support the recipient.
- Agency Caregivers
Trained professional caregivers assigned by a licensed home care agency.
However, one important point is that, according to standard Home Help rules, spouses are not allowed to be paid caregivers for each other in most cases.
What does the Michigan Home Help Program actually do?
The Home Help Program is a Medicaid-funded initiative that pays for personal care services. Its core idea and goal are to ensure people who need support for doing activities of daily living are able to receive it at home, rather than in facilities. And the people providing that help deserve to be compensated.
The program covers assistance in what we call Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). These include:
- Bathing, grooming
- Personal hygiene
- Changing (dressing)
- Mobility assistance
- Toileting
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping tasks are essential to health and safety
- Medication reminders
How does the Home Help Program support paid family caregivers?
The Michigan Home Help Program has one of the most meaningful aspects that allows recipients to choose a caregiver from their own family or among people they know, rather than providing a caregiver from an outside agency. And that chosen caregiver then becomes a paid worker through the state.
This is the most important piece of information that most Michigan families don’t know about. If a father or mother has received approval from Medicaid and qualifies to receive Home Help service, their son or daughter can apply for the caregiver post and start getting paid for the care they were already providing without any compensation. The compensation is modest but real. Currently, caregivers earn $11 to $13 per hour, and they can work up to 112 hours per month for eligible recipients.
This cannot replace a full-time job’s pay. However, it gives financial relief and support to the family and the individual caring for their loved one.
Who Qualifies for the Michigan Home Help Program?
To Receive Care, Your Loved One Must:
- Be a Michigan resident
- Be actively enrolled in Michigan Medicaid
- Require physical assistance with at least one activity of daily living
- Live at home, not in a nursing facility, adult foster care home, or assisted living residence
- Be able to direct their own care or have someone designated to do so on their behalf
To Be a Paid Caregiver, You Must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be capable of safely providing the required care
- Not be the legal spouse of the person receiving care
- Not be the parent of a recipient who is under 18 years old
- Have no disqualifying criminal record
- Register in Michigan’s CHAMPS system to receive payment
Take The Next Step
Your family has waited long enough; now is the time to act. The care you provide deserves more than gratitude. The Michigan Home Help Program is here to help families that need financial and caregiving support.
Hayaat Home Care has been working for Michigan people and families who need our support. We help families navigate from start to end. Call Hayaat Home Care today for a free eligibility check.