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svandervoe Asked October 2014

Can a family member be compensated for the time spent caring for that member?

Say the person is your father and I spend 3 hours per day?I live in Georgia, my father who suffers with dementia needs someone around at all times. I have been living in the same house with both of my parents, my father is 92, and my mother is turning 87 years old on her next birthday. My mother has a heart condition were her movement is limited to standing a few minutes or walking from one room to another and she has to rest. I have to get some kind of income coming in for myself, a job or out side help. Has anyone been in same situation as I am in?

jeannegibbs Oct 2014
Can your parents afford to pay you?

Let's say that you get a parttime job for about 3 hours a day. Who will be watching your parents during that time? How will that be paid for? One approach is to bring in some outside help, so that you can get a job. This helps establish a social security history for you, gives you something to put on your work history if you intend to go to work after your parents die, and may give you a fresh perspective on the caregiving tasks.

In many states it is possible for a relative to be a paid caregiver, depending on the program doing the paying. How it works here on Medicaid is that the family member is directed to the agency the country uses, applies and is automatically accepted (unless there are problems like drug use, etc.) and is assigned to help the family member. Taxes and social security are all handled by the agency. It is like getting a part time job. However, your parents would have to be eligible for such services and your state would have to have a similar program in place. It might be worth while for you to look into this. The way I found out about it was to contact Human Services in my country and ask for a needs assessment.

Good luck to you!

pamstegma Oct 2014
Your only source of payment would be from your parents, but since they are already supporting you in their house, they may be unwilling to give more. So you file for your own social security if you are 62 or older. OR you find a part time job nearby.

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