Caregivers play a vital and extremely important role in making sure that seniors can remain within their homes as comfortable and safe as possible. Family caregivers also provide an important role in taking care of seniors or those with significant mobility issues that may need help staying comfortable within their own home. So it is natural to want to know and ask the question do family caregivers get paid. The answer is not straightforward. Did you know that AARP conducted a report on family caregivers and uncovered that there are almost 41 million family caregivers that provide 34 billion hours of unpaid care alone in 2019?
So the question gets asked a lot, do family caregivers get paid? Yes in some instances when situations allow a family caregiver can get paid to take care of another family member.
What kind of situation qualifies? Basically, if you are not being hired to take care of someone in exchange for money or services, but you are providing support for someone in your family or through a professional organization, it is possible that you could receive payment.
Can I really get paid for caring for my parents?
It should come as no surprise then, that the number one question asked in the Caregiver Forums.
Unfortunately, the answer is complicated. Having a family member as the one who takes care of the aged parents is such a blessing.
However, there are times that some of them ask if they get paid for taking care of an elderly family member? If the question seems too tricky to answer, they should consider the fact that a lot of people would like to be paid for their services but would not like to divulge their pay information.
First of all, most people who are working for the elderly at home usually take care of them because they want to. They have a lot of priorities in life as well as they can also earn a decent living for their entire family by doing so. Although there are reported cases that some people get paid for their work, there is still a percentage of people who work because they also want to give back to the family and would like to continue the legacy of being the caregiver of their parents.
They also have other responsibilities as well as their own lives and they only spend time at home with their elderly parents during weekends, holidays, and even during summer break that’s why they cannot get paid for what they do.
To be able to answer the question if the caregivers are paid for what they do, there is a percentage of people who get paid for their work because of certain reasons. They need to receive some sort of compensation from their employer since they are doing a job that is challenging. In addition, their employers have an obligation to pay them as well especially if the person is under a caregiving contract with the elderly and needs to get paid legally.
There are ways where you can get a pass and be paid as a family caregiver. If you are a U.S. military veteran and Medicaid recipient, count yourself in!
But first, a family caregiver must follow the personal care agreements. This is to ensure that the family caregiver will be paid accordingly. Before it begins, it is vital to ask for a lawyer’s help. The personal care agreement should include the services provided and the proper compensation. If there are no limitations on the type of care or the number of hours per week, then it is vital to know what patients’ families are willing to pay.
Compensation will be paid a weekly stipend to a family caregiver. The compensation should be dependent on the number and type of services that have been provided to the patient within 9 months before they start paying for services. There must be sufficient time for the family caregiver to prepare before getting paid.
Statistics on caregiving and family members
According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons, for about 24 hours a week, fifty-three (53) million Americans provide care without pay to an ailing or aging loved one.
Twenty-eight percent (28%) say they have stopped saving money, and twenty-three percent (23%) have taken on more debt. As for caregivers, this neglected responsibility brought such a burden to their parts.
Since this issue has been brought into the public discussions, benefits such as paid leaves and large installments are allowed to compensate the time effort of the caregivers.
Medicaid Recipients
If you have to care for your parents, the responsibilities can become overwhelming. There are many questions that you may have about taking care of a loved one while also trying to maintain a job.
The United States government has set up different programs that provide relief for caregivers. The goal is to help people with disabilities and their families live as normal lives as possible. One of these programs which may be available is called Medicaid Long-Term Care, or MMTLTC. The benefits include assistance with the daily activities of caregiving.
With this service, people who have long-term disabilities can stay in their own homes and still receive care. The program will go into effect once the recipient is deemed eligible for Medicaid due to a disability that requires skilled nursing care in their home or his or her nursing home costs become too high.
Veterans Directed Care
The program is designed to coordinate your primary health care and community-based long-term care services at one agency. If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and eligible for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you may be in luck.
The Veterans Directed Care program provides veterans with the opportunity to live at home while receiving much-needed care services from VA.
In most cases, you are paid directly by the agency that coordinates your care to you or your family caregiver, and it may reduce your out-of-pocket expenses for health care services compared to other VA programs.
If you were eligible to receive free care from a VA health care facility, this program may reduce or eliminate the cost of caring for your veteran.
Our final thoughts on do family caregivers get paid
Family caregiving is a way to give back to the family especially when it involves a loved one. Besides, most of the time, family members are already involved in their loved ones’ lives and they only need extra help.
Even though there are reported cases that some people get paid for their work, there is still a percentage of people who work because they also want to give back to the family and would like to continue by being able to take care of their aging parents.
