Indiana Respite Care: Free and Low-Cost Options for Family Caregivers

You haven't slept through the night in months. Your parent needs help getting to the bathroom at 3 AM, and you're the one who hears the call. You know you need a break, but stepping away feels impossible — who would take over, and how would you pay for it?

Indiana has several respite care programs, and one of the most useful ones has no income or asset test at all. Here's how each option works and who qualifies.

National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) — No Income Test

This is the program most Indiana families don't know about. The National Family Caregiver Support Program, administered through your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), provides respite care, counseling, and caregiver training with no income or asset test.

That means your household income and your parent's savings are irrelevant for eligibility. If you are an unpaid family caregiver for someone aged 60 or older, you can access:

• In-home respite — a trained aide comes to your parent's home so you can leave for a few hours or a full day
• Facility-based respite — short-term stays (typically up to 2-4 weeks) at a participating residential care facility or nursing home
• Caregiver counseling and support groups
• Training on care techniques — lifting, transfers, medication management, dementia behaviors

To access NFCSP services, contact your local AAA. In the Indianapolis metro area, that's CICOA at (317) 254-5465. For other counties, call the INconnect Alliance at 1-800-713-9023 to find your regional AAA.

Funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so call early — don't wait until you're in full burnout.

PathWays for Aging Waiver Respite

If your parent is enrolled in the Indiana PathWays for Aging program (Medicaid HCBS waiver for adults 60+), respite care is an authorized waiver service. This includes both in-home respite and facility-based short-term stays.

The respite hours are built into your parent's Individualized Support Plan (ISP), developed by their assigned Managed Care Entity (MCE) care coordinator (Anthem, Humana, or UnitedHealthcare).

To qualify for PathWays, your parent must:

• Be 60 or older
• Meet the Nursing Facility Level of Care standard through the Maximus LCAR assessment
• Have gross monthly income at or below $2,982
• Have countable assets at or below $2,000

If your parent is already on the PathWays waiver, ask their care coordinator about increasing respite hours. Many families don't realize respite is an available service under their existing plan.

CHOICE Program Respite

Indiana's CHOICE program (Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled) also funds respite care for families who don't qualify for Medicaid. CHOICE has no income cap and an asset limit of $250,000 — far more generous than Medicaid's $2,000 limit.

CHOICE respite is administered through your local AAA and covers in-home attendant care and short-term relief for family caregivers. Families at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level receive services free of charge; those above pay a sliding-scale co-share.

Adult Day Care Programs

Adult day care is one of the most underused respite resources in Indiana. These community-based programs provide daytime supervision, social activities, meals, and basic therapeutic support — typically from morning to late afternoon, Monday through Friday.

Adult day care works well when your parent is safe to be at home overnight but needs supervision and engagement during the day while you work, handle errands, or simply rest.

Indiana adult day care costs fall below the national median of ~$95/day. Funding sources include:

• Private pay — straightforward daily rate
• PathWays for Aging waiver — if your parent is enrolled, adult day health services are a covered waiver benefit
• CHOICE program — through your local AAA
• Some long-term care insurance policies — check whether your parent's policy covers adult day programs (many do)

To find licensed adult day programs in your area, contact your local AAA or search the Indiana Department of Health's provider directory.

Planning Respite Into Your Care Strategy

Respite care works best when it's part of the plan from day one — not something you scramble for after six months of unsustainable caregiving. Building regular breaks into your weekly routine (even just one afternoon per week through adult day care) dramatically reduces the burnout that leads to premature nursing home placement.

The Indiana Elder Care Decision Guide includes a caregiver sustainability worksheet that helps you map out which respite programs your family qualifies for and build a realistic schedule that keeps both you and your parent safe long-term.

See more Indiana guides →