According to the Family Caregiving Alliance, questions about getting paid as a family caregiver are the most frequent they get, so I thought that I’d share how I’ve made it happen.
But be advised that you may not be able to make it work.
HOWEVER, there may be low- to no-cost help to be had.
In my case, my parents were in their late 80s when I became their caregiver, so first…
I called the local Agency on Aging to ask about senior services.
Call 800-677-1116 or use this Eldercare Locator to find the office serving the zip code where you’re looking for help. I’ve called agencies on aging in three cities where my parents have lived and found the representatives to be super patient and kind.
Though I haven’t used it, this tool lists services by state and has a tab for compensation.
I got hired by a home health agency and made my parents my only clients.
This may not work where you live, but it’s worth investigating especially if you live in Illinois. By calling the Chicago Agency on Aging and asking about available in-home support, I learned that my parents could get 20 hours / week of no-cost help. I secured them an aide who helped with tasks like meal prep, laundry and feeding my father, who had dementia.
And in a stroke of luck, …
The aide’s agency asked me to pick another provider because they’d no longer be serving my parents’ side of town. They gave me a list, but I had a question first: Instead of paying someone else when I was doing the heavy lifting, might I fill the paid slot?
Yes, so long as I could find an agency that served our area and hired family members.
With help from the list, I did. And getting hired was easy. I took a test, which I passed, and needed no training: I was already doing far more than was typical for the job I was getting, which paid $11 / hour for the 20 hours my parents could get “free” from the city.
This set up ended when we moved to Alexandria, where I couldn’t get any city services.
I got no cost help—and paid—through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The VA gets a bad rap but they did right by my dad. It may have helped that he was a WWII vet and fully bed-bound, but still. Through VA, I was able to secure…
- A “free” hospital bed, pressure-relieving mattress and everyday caregiving supplies (which can get pricey quickly).
- Two hours / day of help from an aide, without whom I couldn’t have lifted and moved my father to do things like wound care or feed him.
- One month with extra weekday support so I could rest (though I played catch up instead).
If your caree is a veteran, visit the VA Caregiver Support Program page and / or call 800-698-2411 to ask about in-home and other long-term care services.
In my experience, the people at VA are determined to help.
Now for the money part:
My father qualified for the VA Aid & Attendance benefit because of his condition and the fact that his care costs essentially ate my parents’ income. If you apply for a loved one, I suggest getting help with the application.*
Now that my father has passed and my mom requires help, she is able to claim Aid & Attendance as a survivor’s benefit. She uses her award to pay me for part of my caregiving help, and will use it for another caregiver once I move back to Atlanta.
*The Elizabeth Dole Foundation and American Legion also provide application assistance.
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