Get paid to care for family in Lake County
Most of the 94,600 people in Lake County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Indiana Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Lake County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 94,600
- Aged 85+
- 9,790
- Rank in IN
- 2nd
- Median age
- 40.3
19% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 92 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Lake County is a large metro county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 1).
- 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 Lake
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 94,600 people in Lake County are 65 or older — 19% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Indiana as a whole. Roughly 9,790 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Lake County is one of the state's biggest population centers, and home-care agencies do work here — but staffing is thin, schedules change, and a stranger in the house is not what every family wants.
Statewide, 1.2 million people in Indiana are 65 or older — 18% of the state, across 92 counties.
What Indiana pays family caregivers
$46–$80/day
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Indiana Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Indiana's programs at a glance
- Structured Family Caregiving (SFC)
- Attendant Care (PathWays & H&W Waivers)
- Spouse paid?
- Yes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Yes
- Waitlist
- Waitlists can be long — apply early.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Indiana guide →
Towns and cities in Lake County
Indiana sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Hammond and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Lake County:
- Hammond76,030
- Gary67,555
- Merrillville36,989
- Crown Point35,097
- Schererville29,780
- Hobart29,418
- East Chicago25,768
- St. John24,250
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Lake apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Lake County start with Indiana's program:
Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for intake, level-of-care assessment, and waitlist placement; apply for Indiana Medicaid through FSSA; PathWays members then select a managed-care plan and request SFC through their care coordinator.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Indiana program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Lake questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Lake County?
Yes. Indiana runs real Medicaid programs — like Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Lake County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Lake County?
Reported figures in Indiana are around $46–$80/day, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Lake County apply?
Families in Lake County start with the state, not the county. Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for intake, level-of-care assessment, and waitlist placement; apply for Indiana Medicaid through FSSA; PathWays members then select a managed-care plan and request SFC through their care coordinator.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Lake County?
Yes — a spouse can be paid here. The fine print for Indiana: yes via SFC — a live-in spouse can be the paid SFC caregiver; no for Attendant Care since 7/1/2024 (spouse is a Legally Responsible Individual)
How many people in Lake County might need this?
94,600 residents of Lake County are 65 or older and about 9,790 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. Indiana's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Lake do you cover?
All of Lake County — including Hammond, Gary, Merrillville, Crown Point and Schererville. Eligibility is set by Indiana, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Indiana'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 Lake County
Start with the Indiana caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Lake
The counties Lake 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.
Find out in 2 minutes
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