Memory Care FAQs and helpful tips in South Carolina

  1. Memory Care FAQs and helpful tips in South Carolina
    1. South Carolina Medicaid Programs for Memory Care

South Carolina Medicaid, also known as Healthy Connections, is a medical assistance program that assists low-income seniors and individuals with paying for medical expenses. The Community CHOICES Waiver and the Community Supports Waiver both indirectly aid seniors in paying for assisted living and memory care.

  • Community CHOICES Waiver. The Elderly and Disabled Waiver is yet another name for the Community CHOICES Waiver. This enables seniors to pay for personal care services such as housekeeping, grooming, bathing, toileting, meals, transportation, and prescription management in an assisted living facility as opposed to a nursing home. The waiver may extend to medical supplies and equipment in addition to personal care.
  • Community Supports (CS). The CS waiver assists in financing a range of long-term care services, such as personal care, case management, assistive technologies, transportation, personal emergency response systems, and private vehicle modifications.
  1. Can You Use Medicare to Pay for Memory Care in South Carolina?

Sadly, Memory Care costs are typically not covered by Medicare. Because the majority of memory care facilities are categorized as “social settings,” Medicare cannot pay for the costs associated with using these facilities. Only if you are receiving memory care services in a nursing home is there an exemption to that rule. Medicare will occasionally pay the cost after considering a number of factors, even though this case is far less frequent. The cost of care received at the Memory Care Facility will not be covered by Medicare, but it will continue to pay for certain doctor visits, medications, and other services, just as it would if you were still living at home.