Get paid to care for family in Polk County
Most of the 4,690 people in Polk County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Arkansas Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Polk County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 4,690
- Aged 85+
- 405
- Rank in AR
- 29th
- Median age
- 44.5
24% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 75 counties, by residents 65+
older than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Polk County is a rural county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 7).
- 50 + DC
- states covered
- 3,144
- counties with local data
- $0
- it is always free to apply
- 2 min
- to see if you qualify
Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Rules from each state's published Medicaid program
Care in Polk
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 4,690 people in Polk County are 65 or older — 24% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Arkansas overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 405 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. In a rural county, an agency aide may be a long drive away — when one is available at all. That is exactly why the state lets you be the paid caregiver instead.
Statewide, 562,800 people in Arkansas are 65 or older — 18% of the state, across 75 counties.
What Arkansas pays family caregivers
Rates vary — check with the program.
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Arkansas Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Arkansas's programs at a glance
- IndependentChoices
- ARChoices in Homecare
- Spouse paid?
- Not right now
- Parent paid for a child?
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Arkansas guide →
Towns and cities in Polk County
Arkansas sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Mena and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Polk County:
- Mena5,594
- Wickes655
- Grannis499
- Hatfield349
- Cove328
- Vandervoort113
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Polk apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Polk County start with Arkansas's program:
Apply online at Access Arkansas or at a local DHS county office with the Long-Term Services and Supports application, or call the Choices in Living Resource Center at 866-801-3435; then elect IndependentChoices.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Arkansas program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Polk questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Polk County?
Yes. Arkansas runs real Medicaid programs — like IndependentChoices — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Polk County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Polk County?
Arkansas doesn't publish one flat rate. The program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Polk County apply?
Families in Polk County start with the state, not the county. Apply online at Access Arkansas or at a local DHS county office with the Long-Term Services and Supports application, or call the Choices in Living Resource Center at 866-801-3435; then elect IndependentChoices.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Polk County?
Not right now — but other family members often can be. The fine print for Arkansas: no — spouses and legal guardians are prohibited from being hired; other relatives including adult children can be paid
How many people in Polk County might need this?
4,690 residents of Polk County are 65 or older and about 405 are 85 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Most of them are cared for at home by a relative rather than in a facility. Arkansas's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Polk do you cover?
All of Polk County — including Mena, Wickes, Grannis, Hatfield and Cove. Eligibility is set by Arkansas, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Arkansas's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Guides
For families in Polk County
Start with the Arkansas caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Polk
The counties Polk touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water. Ones marked with a state abbreviation are across the line, and their rules are their state's, not this one's.
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