This person just took care of my friends mother. I don't know her personally. Do I need insurance for them? They are not through an agency. What do I need to be legally covered?
Just being careful. Agencies charge too much and this woman has met my mom and they hit it off.
Thank you
Benefits: If the caregiver is leaving a job, then they’ll be giving up significant employment benefits. Discuss how to fairly handle health insurance costs, paid sick days and vacation time.
Compensation: Now figure out a reasonable rate to pay the full-time caregiver for the hours they’ll be working. This should be a rate that’s comparable to what professional caregivers are paid.
Dates: When will the duties outlined in the contract begin? Will you set an end date now or a date to revisit the terms to see if everyone still agrees?
Expenses: As the main person helping run errands and pick up prescriptions for your loved one, the caregiver is likely to incur expenses. Discuss and determine how the family will handle that as well.
Hours: This contract defines a job. You should include set hours for work and keep them realistic. How many hours a week will the primary caregiver be available to take care of your loved one? Which hours? Who steps in the rest of the time?
Payment terms: When will the caregiver be paid? Weekly on Fridays? Will it be by bank transfer, check or another method?
Responsibilities: “Caregiving” is a general term, but you want to lay out specifics here. Think in terms of the activities of daily living (ADLs) that are commonly used in the senior living industry to help define the level of need seniors have. Name the specific responsibilities as clearly as possible.
As your mother is in an ALF, you had better discuss things like liability and professional indemnity insurance with the facility's admin team. There may also be notes in your mother's ALF agreement about individual caregivers and what's required.
You and the caregiver and your mother all definitely DO need a contract; and it might be a good idea to run it past a professional. Don't let this put you off! - because it is a great start that you know the person through personal recommendation, and that she and your mother took to one another; but most problems come from people's not talking about the nuts and bolts to begin with. Best of luck, I hope everything works out well.
My Dad's facility allowed private caregivers via an Agency, but there was still a lot of red tape the caregivers needed to go through to be allowed into the facility. And I can understand that, as the facility told me that some residents are afraid if they see someone they don't know. My Dad's caregiver was a social butterfly so everyone got to know her rather quickly :)
Also the facility would want to see paperwork that the caregiver has had her flu shot for the season, and paperwork that she had a TB test within the past year.
www.hrblock.com/tax-center/newsroom/filing/dependents/top-questions-parents-employing-nanny/
If mom ever needs Medicaid, payment to this caregiver could be considered a gift without the proper documents in place. Without the documents, mom would be penalized an amount equal to the "under the t able" amount paid to caregiver.