Hello, I am new to this board, but not new to the MS world. I reviewed threads for quite a while, but could not see this question, well, really a set of questions.
The situation is this. I make good money, but not enough to take care of my spouse who is completely disabled by MS. At this point she can no longer feed herself, nor take care of her physical needs. I have cared for her 100% of the time - I feed, bath, clothe, cook for, etc - and my insurance pays medical bills.
What I cannot afford is "daycare" for when I am not home to care for her. I simply do not make enough to support that type of care-giver in my home. With my income she obviously does not qualify for medicaid, nor supplemental Social Security. (* at least I think there is a possibility that some people do get supplemental income beyond standard Social security?) anyway, I love her with all of my heart, and the last thing I want to do is get to the point where I cannot keep my family together...in other words, I don't wish to divorce her and move her to a long term care facility.
My wish is that we can still live together as a family with my two children, but allow the government to come in with a little more financial help by divorcing her, and thus reducing "her" income. My big question is...will this legal move help her situation? Can I get better care for her, daily care, and maybe even some physical therapy now and then??? (WITHOUT moving her out of the house we now live in???) As it is, right now, when I leave for work she is virtually helpless until I return, and insurance does not cover much by way of therapy. Any thoughts or input on this would be wonderfully appreciated.
** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **
The situation is this. I make good money, but not enough to take care of my spouse who is completely disabled by MS. At this point she can no longer feed herself, nor take care of her physical needs. I have cared for her 100% of the time - I feed, bath, clothe, cook for, etc - and my insurance pays medical bills.
What I cannot afford is "daycare" for when I am not home to care for her. I simply do not make enough to support that type of care-giver in my home. With my income she obviously does not qualify for medicaid, nor supplemental Social Security. (* at least I think there is a possibility that some people do get supplemental income beyond standard Social security?) anyway, I love her with all of my heart, and the last thing I want to do is get to the point where I cannot keep my family together...in other words, I don't wish to divorce her and move her to a long term care facility.
My wish is that we can still live together as a family with my two children, but allow the government to come in with a little more financial help by divorcing her, and thus reducing "her" income. My big question is...will this legal move help her situation? Can I get better care for her, daily care, and maybe even some physical therapy now and then??? (WITHOUT moving her out of the house we now live in???) As it is, right now, when I leave for work she is virtually helpless until I return, and insurance does not cover much by way of therapy. Any thoughts or input on this would be wonderfully appreciated.
** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **
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