'I get to be here.' Assisted Living Services supports caregivers through statewide program

Through the program, the state pays a provider agency, like Assisted Living Services, which provides coaching and support to the caregiver and pays them with a tax-free stipend on a weekly basis.

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Mar 7, 2023, 10:35 PM

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Updated 507 days ago

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Caring for your elderly loved one could get you a paycheck. Assisted Living Services in Fairfield County is supporting caregivers through a state-run program.

Samantha Glover does everything with her great-uncle, Nathaniel Butler.

Glover was a school bus driver with Norwalk Public Schools for eight years. When COVID hit, she had to make a new plan that involved taking care of her beloved uncle.

"I don't want him to be home by himself all day every day," said Glover.

But she couldn't stop getting paychecks either -- that's where the Adult Family Living Program came in.

Through the program, the state pays a provider agency, like Assisted Living Services, which provides coaching and support to the caregiver and pays them with a tax-free stipend on a weekly basis.

Caregivers could, in some cases, earn more than $500 a week, and they would not have to file income taxes on that money.

Assisted Living Services also provides non-medical home care for seniors who want to age in place.

"The neat part of this program it allows for some income to be made for doing that very important caregiving work, said Chief Operating Officer at Assisted Living Services, Mario D'Aquila.

To qualify for the program, a senior must be on Medicaid and be at risk of being placed at a nursing home.

Glover says the program puts both herself and her uncle at ease.

"The stipend made it much easier, a little more freedom where I didn't have to stress with, 'OK, I've got to go back to driving a bus,' and allowed me to be home," Glover said.

With the help of Assisted Living Services, Glover says she can now help the man who once helped raise her.

"He was there from my birth to now, and now I get to be here and make it comfortable for however long the Lord allows him to be here. I get to share that with him," she said.

For more information on the program, click here and here.

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