Stroke Recovery Support at Home in Stone Mountain, GA

Hospitals with an emergency department near Stone Mountain: Emory Hillandale Hospital in Lithonia (6.2 mi); Decatur (Atlanta) Va Medical Center in Decatur (6.4 mi); Athur M Blank Hospital in Atlanta (8.7 mi). With stroke signs, call 911 rather than driving.

122 Stone Mountain residents 65 or older have difficulty dressing or bathing (14%; 7.0% in DeKalb County), and 191 have serious difficulty walking: the two kinds of help most often needed in the weeks after a stroke.

At the Georgia median aide wage of $14.07 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $1,219 a month in wages, which is 29% of the $4,188 monthly median income of Stone Mountain households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. Georgia's state rate is lower than the federal one, so employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act pay at least the federal $7.25 an hour (U.S. Department of Labor).

Hiring directly, you agree the rate with the caregiver and usually become the household employer (U.S. Department of Labor rules). Some families qualify for programs that pay for care at home; see Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states.