Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
C
CuriousCat876 Asked October 2022

How many days off are allowed for a live-in caregiver?

I am a live-in caregiver. I have been at the client's house for 8 months without any days off to go home. I am getting burnt out however I am not able to have any days off until 1 year. My boss says after one year I am allowed 2 weeks off. Can she do that?
What are my rights for getting time off? I work privately and my taxes are being withdrawn. I live in Connecticut.

Candyapple Oct 2022
What are u kidding me. You need to contact the Labor Dept. In your area to find out this is so not right.

ZippyZee Oct 2022
Get a better job. Caregivers are in insanely high demand, you don't need to put up with this degree of BS. Get hired by a better company.

ADVERTISEMENT


gladimhere Oct 2022
Call the Department of Labor. Do you work 24 hours? That is slavery! Are you paid overtime?
CuriousCat876 Oct 2022
I live in 24 hours. But I work about 13 hours. She wakes up 8 am and goes to bed 9pm.

No I get a set daily pay.
CuriousCat876 Oct 2022
Thank you guys so much. I new to this country do I did not fully understand the rules/laws. I will re negotiate time off and over time with them. They refuse now know that I have certain protection under the law
PeggySue2020 Oct 2022
I’m sorry to say this again, but again you need money into the thousands, even tens of thousands, for paid legal representation.

Otherwise, don’t get your hopes up.

Honestly, most ppl would just state their terms and leave.
janicemeyer18 Oct 2022
Slavery , although supposedly abolished, does still exist in many shapes , forms, places and circumstances. You are not a slave nor an indentured servant.
Please walk away. Save yourself and, report the employer. You are being abused. I could continue but that's the bottom line.

cwillie Oct 2022
If you are not allowed to leave because your client can't be alone then you ARE working 24 hours; just as firefighters and EMS get paid when they are on call but there isn't an emergency or babysitters get paid after the children are in bed you may not be actively giving care but you are on duty. Contracts have no legal weight when they break the law, and no labour code allows for 24/7 employment without respite.
CuriousCat876 Oct 2022
She doesn't usually wake up in the night. However I am not allowed to leave as she is a fall risk or just incase she needs help in the night. I don't get paid for my sleeping time. I get a daily pay of $180 before taxes.
Sendhelp Oct 2022
When you are "off-duty", are there other family in the home to take over care?

At those "off-duty" hours, are you allowed to leave the premises?

If this misunderstanding (boss breaking the law) ends in a dispute with her firing you there are things you can do. You say taxes are being withdrawn
(taxes withheld). Check to see if the taxes are being paid quarterly to the IRS on your behalf. Call Social Security to see if payments to your account have been posted. You may need an attorney to sort this out.

In the meantime, do not just walk away, quit, or abandon your client who needs care. If you must leave for your health, call APS to investigate with a home visit. It is clear that your boss has misinterpreted the rules/laws.

And what a shame for your client, because good caregivers are hard to find!

Adding this:
I do not know of a client/patient needing daily caregiving that would not have any needs in the middle of the night. Who takes care of your client overnight?
CuriousCat876 Oct 2022
I am not allowed to leave. Her children come my to visit maybe once or twice per week for an hour or so but I still have to stay even when they are here.
Sendhelp Oct 2022
Cat,
Proceed as if you are not afraid to lose your job because you are in the right.
Listen to MACinCT.

Align yourself with others in your community who are caregivers. See a lawyer. Talk to others, do not keep all this to yourself. The next person who does your job will be likewise fooled, exploited, and told lies.

If you can qualify, work for an agency that takes care of the withholding of taxes for you. If you don't qualify, don't worry about that part.

This breaks my heart this has happened to you. People try to work, make a living, and this happens. There are employed people living in their cars at places like Walmart parking lots during these hard times. Our community tries to help them with food and gift cards, via fb and other neighborhood social media.

Your employer has much more to lose than you (fines, conviction of a crime) so do not allow this intimidation to continue. You can negotiate still. Do not give up.

Where did you work prior to this assignment? Do you actually have a home nearby to return to on your times off, or do you have a home in another state or country? It does not matter if you prefer not to answer.

cwillie Oct 2022
CC - Please come back after you talk with your employer to let us know how things turn out!

Becky04469 Oct 2022
Did an attorney draw up the contact? It sounds like it isn't legal. Be prepared to lose your job if you insist on the employer make everything in line with federal wage and hour standards.

See All Answers

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter