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I have a question. Can a person be employed to provide caregiving for a relative? I mean if a person needs someone to live with them, provide meals, lawn and house maintenance can they employ a relative to do that. Will the relative then be able to fill out a 1099 self employment form, take care of his/her own taxes, social security and everything else? I am unemployed and thinking of relocating but my father is 80 and does need such services. He is unwilling to relocate but jobs are very hard to find where I am.

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The answer is yes. He would have have to pay others to do the work you are willing to do. He would probably have to hire multiple people to do meals, lawn care and home maintenance.

You should contact his financial advisor or banker or an attorney. You are basicallly setting up a small business for yourself. Find out how much he would have to pay to hire someone to do the work you will be doing. Do not short yourself since you will be paying social security and taxes. Will you get free room and board? This can be in lieu of payment but still has a value. It may make sense to pay for a room and contribute for your food.

Does your Dad need around the clock care? If not, maybe you can find other elderly folks who need yard work or home maintenance work done. Consider becoming bonded if you work in other people's homes.

The biggest worry is you probably won't have health insurance. If you have a small business, you may be able to get coverage through a business owners' association. Look into this.

Do you have siblings? You may want to make sure that they understand what you are doing is helping your dad and all above board. Sometimes siblings, even though they don't want to help out themselves, think you are taking "advantage" of dad by not working for free. Unless you are paid $100K per year, much of what you will be doing will be way cheaper than your dad could have anyone else do it.

Save all receipts and keep a journal of what you are doing to help your dad. This is just in case anyone questions anything down the road. In the world of no good deed goes unpunished, you still have to look out for yourself.

You dad is fortunate that you are willing to relocate to be near him and to help. Good luck!

Julie Q
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How do you get information and how do you apply to get paid for helping a friend or relative?
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From the original post, the dad was able to pay for certain services such as meal prep, yard and home maintenance. Since he would be employing someone to do these jobs the question was if he could employ his son to do the work.

If a parent has no income, I have heard it is possible to be reimbursed from the state but I am not familiar with how one goes about this.

Julie
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I've been checking into state assistance myself. My mom is considered low income. According to her social worker, she is only eligible to receive 12 hours a week for a free in home companion. Her accountant who is also free from the city told me I should apply to get paid for those 12 hours and not someone else since I am here 24/7. My mom dearly loves her companion. I'd hate to take that away from her so I looked into other resources. Turns out, that I am only eligible for $500 A YEAR. For 2008, however, those funds were canceled and 2009 looks shaky also. It's a hard decision, but I've got my own bills to pay and hate that my moms SSI check also pays for my car and insurance(I haven't paid any other bill in months). My brother gives us a little money each month, but I need my own income. Everyone knows and understands that I'm not taking advantage etc, but I'd feel better if I was getting my own money to pay for my bills.
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I also have a question. Where and how do i find out how and who do i go to, to get paid for taking 24hour 7 day a week care of my 81 yr old mother and 76 year old aunt? I am 50 years old and in the process of divorcing my husband who is in prison until 2012 and i have no work experience except being a mother and taking care of my family. Please HELP!!!!!
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My dad has Parkinsons and the dementia. He has been living with me for the last 4 years. Just this past few months it has gotten bad enough that I could not continue to work (caregiver in home with him at that those times) and care for him to- no sleep and other things. He is financially able to pay and if he had went to a nursing home he would be a private pay. So I decided he could pay me for the same thing at the same rate. I spoke to an attorney who specialized in elder law. She said this was appropriate but to keep records of his money spent. I do it just like the nursing home. It is room, board and 24/7 care, with anything extra like meds, diapers being paid out of his money. If I need to go out for any length of time and pay somebody then I pay for that out of what I recieve. I will have to pay my own taxes which will be a lot and I am unfamiliar with that. So hard sometimes though.
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I am a 53 year old male presently employeed both parents live with me in a in-law apartment. They have been living with me for a least 20 years. My father was supporting my mother all this time and he has been retired for at least 20 years. He is presently 86 years old and had recently fallen and broke his hip. He is in rehab. right now and we are waiting for evaluation. My mother is not that mobile and dependant on him. Long story short, is there any way that I could get paid for caring for them or who can I contact to find out?
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i want to know how i can get paid for taking care of my parents
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I have been taking care of my father, (Alzheimers), for four years now. His doctors say he should be left alone, so I am a 24/7 care provider. I could not put my father in a home when he has expressed to me he wants to live with me. I could not take money from my father, he barely makes enough to pay for his presciptions. Surely, if medicare can pay for in-home care for him to others, why can't I get paid, as I am his in-home health care provider? I do everything for him, with him.
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who do i contact about getting paid to take care of my mother?
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i wish all of you nice folks could get your questions answered easily. in our state, the county's department of HUMAN SERVICES, adult services unit [it's in the phone book] has a COP-waiver program. they have funding to help out finanically based on the needs of the disabled person and caregiver. they want to see a loving committment and distressed income in providing care for someone that would otherwise be in a nursing home at the states cost. there is no health insurance for us, but there IS financial help. they have to watch and check your situation often to be sure the state funding is being used in a proper way. it's the only thing that kept us afloat for many years and we did save the state a lot by care giving at home. check your own states to see if they have help for you. it makes life and careing much more accepting. good luck, sooz
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I would like to how to get paid though medicad
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For those of you looking to receive payment for caring for a relative, please check into Sooz advice. You will have to be proactive on this - meaning no one on this list can advise you because each state/municipality is different.

You can also contact your State representatives which should be listed in the Government section of your telephone book. They may be able to direct you to the appropriate state agency. Many States are facing financial issues so there may or may not be funds available but it doesn't hurt to look into it.

If any of you are able to find out information on this issue, it would be helpful if you would post back to the list.
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How do I go about getting paid to take care of my 90 year old grand mother.
My email address is dragonfly1_4@hotmail.com please email me and let me know. My cousin is taking care of her mom with alshimers and she would like to know too.
Thank You so much.
Jamie Hardin
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I believe that the government should create a data base, other than through [medicare/SS] and register the elderly so they would know who truely is caring for parent/loved ones. I believe that if the government or insurances co. can pay a a nurse for a 2hr. in-home visit......then why can they pay the 24/7 care providers?? Nursing homes are too expensive and if you live on a fixed income.... they take all of their money!!! And the level of care our parents get in a facility is nothing like what they get from the ones who love them.
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My father, 82 with the onset of parkinsens, and my step-mother, 82 with alsheimers, moved into NJ fro MD just this past month. They own a home in MD and now my father lives in assisted living ($3000/month) and his wife lives in an alheimers/assited living home ($4600/month) separate from each other. They have some money saved in their bank account and own their home in MD. My father brings in approx $3000/month from pension & ss while his wife brings in about $1500. At the rate their going we wont beable to keep them at the facilities for longer than 2 years. I would like to have my father live w/ my family by adding an addition onto my home ($35,000) and I would be his care taker.
Does this sound logical? In order to preserve some of the money, what is the best advice to do w/ the home he owns jointly? How can we legally "hide" some of his money for their children? Help, plz
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My siblings & I are all involved in the daily care of my mom who is mobile, lives alone and does no cooking,etc and has some dementia - My question is - we all would like to keep Mom in her home by cooking her meals, doing shopping, getting her out of and back into bed -giving her meds..pretty much everything. Mom keeps wanting to give us money - I am not talking alot - perhaps $100 a month each - which she can afford with her income. Can we accept this? I know that if we had to pay for taking care it would be much more money but I am afraid of possible consequences, especially if she were at some time to have to go into a nursing home. Is this ok to do? should it be as "payment for services" or a gift?
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My MIL with early Alzheimer's just moved in with us. She would like to contribute to our household- and can well afford to but both sides are afraid to throw out an amount. She doesn't realize that she is already a full-time responsibility for me (plus 6 kids) and I was considering going back to work this year. Plus we're saving her $1000s towards assisted living/nursing care. On the other hand, I'm not caring for her in order to gain financially.
Any ideas?
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how do i get paid for being a caregiver.
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I research all about getting paid also. If you are a family member looking out for a family member you cant get paid. This is sad. Someone told me to take the NA course I would get paid threw Mother in law insurance. Nope didnt happen. She has to be completely bed ridden and then they will only pay listen to this for 4 hrs. for ADL. I am fortunate because she was wife of vet and they do pay. I only found this out this past year. The brothers who were handling this knew this and chose not to tell us. Meanwhile Mother in Laws handwriting is going downhill and she needs someone to write checks and so theyfore I went to Va and found out that I can get paid plus get her a little extra in the process. I spent 6 months phone call after phone call trying to not touch her money to find out that part of what they brothers already knew was to help take care of her. It makes me angry that we have sold some of our possessions to take care of her and the brothers sat there and do nothing but condemn us.
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My mother receives a small check from the VA as dad was retired military. Tell me how I go about getting paid or any money will be help from the Veterans Administration. We are living out of savings and her little income as I am the only child caring for her. I work part-time but need more money coming in. I just bought this house to move mother in with me and lost my job a month after. It's been 8 month since I am going through this.
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Talk to your Va Representative they will tell you how to set up the disability and aid and attendance. Also if the parent is not able to manage her money you have to go through her dr. to get him to write a letter stating she cant manage her money. This goes to VA and they research it and then make a decision and if she lives in your home make you fudiciary. VA benefits are different than anything else. So it doesn't matter who is power of attorney. If she lives in your home you will become fudiciary and the money will come in your name. But remember you have to account for it all. I save every receipt that we have. Groceries, going out to eat, hair care whatever you do with her. Gas receipts repairs to car etc. It takes awhile to get it processed. But once you start it they will back pay from the time you start it. If one Va person doesn't help go to another. It is out there it's not a lot but it sure does help. Once mine is completed I am going to be fudicary of her SS because she can't sign her name very good and she lives in our home not the two brothers that are POA's
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I take care of my mother-in-law in our home. She has stage 6 Alzheimer's. She agreed when she first came to us, before she got so bad, that she should help out with the expense of her living with us. We take a portion of her money each month to pay for part of household expenses. (We're not stealing. We don't take more than a reasonable amount. It doesn't even cover everything.) My question is, do we claim what she gives us as income on our federal taxes? I want to be honest and pay whatever taxes I should, but I don't want to pay more than I have to! Thanks.
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Ask a CPA. I did mine with a CPA and I claimed inlaw as dependent but you need to check with a cpa to do it. They can tell you better how to do it.
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I contacted a Veterans service dept in NJ and they told me you can't get any aid-in-attendance money unless you were injured in a war. Do u know anything about this>>
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They have a book Called Federal Benefits for Veterans and dependents and in it there is a chapter called benefits for dependents and survivors. That is where it is listed. Im in NC I don't think it would be different in other states I would think it would be the same. It states in mine A surviving spouse may be entitled to a higher income limit if living in a nursing home,in need of the aid and attendance of another person or permanently housebound. I hope this helps.
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I just brought my mother to live with me. I also use some of her monthly SS income for household expenses. I am a single mother and cannot afford to care for her without it. I too am looking into programs for financial support. She has home health care for a while but it will not last forever. She's been in a Nursing home since October because she was no longer able to live on her own. She was extremely depressed and I felt like she was literally dying from depression. We are thrilled to have her here. I will post again when I find out exactly what is available.
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Is there any government assistance to help pay the bills. I have have my 93 yr old mother in law living with us now for 5 yrs and was wondering. My husband has a part time job and I am unemployed. I was in construction and now its had to find work. If anyone knows of any help please share the info.
thanks
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My job closed its doors in Sept of 2008. I am currently receiving unemployment benefits in the amount of 192.00 every two weeks. This will soon run out. My dad is on SS and SSI. Can I get paid for taking care of my 91 year old father. We currently rent in Ohio.
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My mother male neighbor goes in and check on her eveyday, gives her medicine and heats her food up for her. My mother has (Alzheimers) for (3) years. Althought she is physically healthy, her mental state is going. I am now in the process seeking a female whom can help her with bathing and light house work. Between the two of them, they may spend about 20 hours a week assisiting my mom. Any idea what I should pay them and should this money be reported.
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