Home and community-based services, or HCBS, help eligible Arizona residents receive daily support at home or in their community instead of moving into a nursing facility. This episode explains the types of HCBS available and the three main paths Arizona families can use to access services.

• What home and community-based services include
• How HCBS differs from nursing facility care
• Personal care, respite, meals, transportation, and other services
• How Area Agencies on Aging connect families with support
• How ALTCS provides Medicaid long-term care services
• How DDD supports eligible people with developmental disabilities
• How families can determine which HCBS path may fit their needs

Understanding Arizona’s HCBS options can help families navigate available programs, organize long-term care support, and identify the right place to begin seeking services.

Blog Link: Home and Community-Based Services in Arizona: What Families Should Know

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Non-medical personal care helps older adults and people with disabilities manage everyday activities while continuing to live at home. This episode explains what personal care includes, what caregivers cannot provide, and how it differs from medical home health care.

• What non-medical personal care means
• How caregivers help with activities of daily living
• Support with bathing, dressing, toileting, and eating
• How caregivers assist with mobility and medication reminders
• Which medical tasks require licensed healthcare professionals
• The difference between personal care and home health care
• Signs a loved one may need additional help at home

Understanding non-medical personal care can help families choose the right level of support while protecting their loved one’s comfort, dignity, safety, and independence at home.

Blog Link: What Is Non-Medical Personal Care at Home

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Thinking about becoming a Direct Care Worker (DCW) in Arizona? This episode explains Arizona's Direct Care Worker training requirements, AHCCCS competency testing standards, and what family caregivers need to know about qualifying for paid caregiving roles through ALTCS.

• Who must complete Direct Care Worker training in Arizona
• What Level I and Level II caregiving training covers
• How AHCCCS competency testing works, including passing scores
• Why required tests generally must be passed within 90 days of hire
• Which training rules apply to paid family caregivers under ALTCS
• Who may qualify for training exemptions or challenge testing
• Where to find approved DCW training programs and continuing education

Understanding Arizona's DCW training and testing requirements can help you prepare for a caregiving career, meet applicable AHCCCS standards, and confidently take the next steps toward supporting individuals who need non-medical care at home.

Blog Link: What Are Arizona’s Direct Care Worker Training Requirements?

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Consistent daily routines can help older adults feel more comfortable, organized, and connected while living at home. This episode explains how family caregivers can create a realistic caregiving routine that supports everyday needs without making the schedule overwhelming.

• Why consistent routines matter for seniors
• How to build a daily caregiving schedule
• Ways to organize meals, medications, and personal care
• How routines can reduce caregiver stress
• Why rest, activities, and social connection matter
• How family members and caregivers can follow the same schedule
• When to adjust routines as care needs change

A simple, flexible routine can make daily life easier for seniors and caregivers while creating more consistency, connection, and structure at home.

Blog Link: How to Make Daily Routines Easier for a Loved One at Home

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Brooks and Elena walk through what ALTCS covers for non-medical home care in Arizona: the in-home services, their limits, and the ways to receive care at home.

• ALTCS covers attendant care, personal care, homemaker services and respite for members who need a nursing facility level of care.
• Respite is limited to 600 hours per benefit year, and short-term in-home respite cannot exceed 12 hours on a date.
• Attendant care excludes skilled tasks only a registered nurse can do, and one worker can give no more than 16 paid hours in 24 (AHCCCS Policy 1240-A).
• Members in their own home can use Agency with Choice or Self-Directed Attendant Care.
• Assisted living coverage leaves out room and board; home delivered meals are for elderly or physically disabled members.

Home Care AUAF Arizona | homecarearizona.com

This episode is general information, not personal medical, legal or financial advice.

Blog Link: https://homecarearizona.com/what-altcs-covers-for-non-medical-home-care-in-arizona/

This episode uses AI-generated host voices.

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Elena and Brooks explain how ALTCS can help pay for non-medical home care in Arizona: who qualifies in 2026, what to do if income is over the limit, and how to apply.

• ALTCS members who qualify do not have to live in a nursing home; care can happen at home through contracted agencies.
• In 2026 a single applicant needs countable income of $2,982 a month or less and $2,000 or less in resources ($3,000 for a couple).
• The PAS medical assessment checks whether a person is at immediate risk of institutionalization.
• Income-only trusts (often called Miller trusts) can help when income is over the ALTCS limit (AHCCCS form DE-819).
• Apply online through Health-e-Arizona Plus; a paid spouse caregiver is limited to 40 hours in seven days (AHCCCS Medical Policy 1240-A).

Home Care AUAF Arizona | homecarearizona.com

This episode is general information, not personal medical, legal or financial advice.

Blog Link: https://homecarearizona.com/how-altcs-can-help-pay-for-non-medical-home-care-in-arizona/

This episode uses AI-generated host voices.

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Elena and Brooks explain the benefits of respite care for family caregivers and the people they care for, the main types of respite, the signs it is time for a break, and how Arizona programs help pay.

• The National Institute on Aging describes respite care as short-term relief for primary caregivers, lasting from a few hours to several weeks.
• In-home respite keeps routines the same, while short-term residential respite can mean a stay in a nursing facility or other licensed setting.
• NIH MedlinePlus Magazine links caregiver stress to a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.
• Under AHCCCS policy 1250-D, ALTCS members at home can get up to 600 respite hours per benefit year (checked October 2026).
• The Arizona Family Caregiver Support Program offers respite through local Area Agencies on Aging and the Arizona Caregiver Resource Line.

Home Care AUAF Arizona | homecarearizona.com

This episode is general information, not personal medical, legal or financial advice.

Blog Link: https://homecarearizona.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-respite-care/

This episode uses AI-generated host voices.

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.

Elena and Brooks walk through the top skills every direct care worker should have, from communication and empathy to safe personal care, and how Arizona trains and tests DCWs.

• Communication, empathy, patience, safe personal care and careful observation sit at the heart of direct care work.
• AHCCCS Level II Aging and Physical Disabilities competencies cover dressing, bathing, toileting, transfers and redirecting a person with dementia.
• Most DCWs serving ALTCS members at home must pass the state tests within 90 days of hire.
• DCWs need 80% on the written test and 100% on the skills test (AHCCCS DCW FAQ, updated March 2022).
• Employers provide six hours of continuing education a year, and CPR and first aid do not count toward it.

Home Care AUAF Arizona | homecarearizona.com

This episode is general information, not personal medical, legal or financial advice.

Blog Link: https://homecarearizona.com/top-skills-every-direct-care-worker-should-have/

This episode uses AI-generated host voices.

Thank you for listening to the Home Care Powered by AUAF Podcast, your trusted source for in-home senior care guidance across Arizona.