My Mom will be moving in with me. Can I be paid to take care of her?

If there are stairs in the mix, she is going to fall and get hurt.
Don't do it. No, you won't get paid unless she pays you.
Medicaid will not pay live-in relatives.

dlacton6 , majority of grown children do not get paid for caring for their elderly parent, unless the parent is financially able to pay from their own funds. If a parent can afford to pay, the parent might as well hire a certified trained caregiver… thus allowing you to keep your full-time job and benefits.

Check to see if your Mom could qualify for Medicaid, each State has different income requirements and eligibility requirements that the care recipient must meet. Some allow a grown child to get a small salary depending on the number of hours the program determines are needed, and again depending on the State if they allow a relative to live full-time in the house and still get paid. You might feel your parent needs 12 hours of care, the program might decide only 5 hours. Be aware that there are waiting lists for these programs and that States have been cutting back on them because of budgetary pressures.

And check with your local Council on Aging to see what is available for Aides to come to the house for a couple of hours to help give you time for yourself. Caregiver burnout comes quickly. Or what items are available for free or at low cost. Also go to the blue bar near the top of this page, click on "Money & Legal", now click on "Paying for Care".

freqflyer, I will be seeing my tax lady next week to be sure things are done correctly regarding taxes. I do have 35 years plus of full-time income already racked up, but I sure do get what you're saying and am nervous about this whole business anyway. Almost seems too good to be true, though caring for mom has not been a piece of cake, and I know it won't get easier. The Alzheimer's has been a very slow process, not the way it went for her grandma, aunt or first cousins. She drives me nuts some days but my sister and niece have been more helpful these past few months. Will be glad when spring comes so we can get outdoors and moving more. I'm not averse to working till I'm 65 and frankly wish this whole business with mom had not happened. Things might end up to where she does need the memory care unit after all and that I do return to working outside my home. My plan up till a few years ago had been to keep on transcribing from home long after I turn 65, it has been that enjoyable, and I never dreamed I might not be able to continue to make a decent living from it. I really don't want to return to school at my age . I'd be happy in a little trailer and living off the grid if I could cut it and didn't have mom to worry with, ha-ha.

More and more states are using Medicaid to help keep people out of expensive nursing homes. My mother moved in with my sister, and Sis was paid to care for her. Also, Brother (disabled) was paid to come in and do housecleaning a few hours a week. Neither was paid a large amount -- certainly not anywhere near what my sister was making in the job she just retired from. But it helped.

Not all states do this! But more and more do. Check it out on your state's website and by calling the contact numbers there.

dlacton6, my mom lives with me in my home now for nearly 2 years. I was finally let go from my job as an at-home transcriber in December (my work has been dwindling for the past decade and harder to come by). At the advice of mom's elder care lawyer, we drew up a contract for mom to pay me, as she can afford to do so. I am working cheaper for her than if she had to get an outside agency (who'd charge mom $20 per hour and actually pay the aide $10 if she was lucky). My sister and brother are more than fine with this since the memory care unit where my sister works wants $7500 per month for her care, and I can sure entertain and take care of her probably as well, from what we've seen and been told as she has no physical problems yet. I got some cheap obamacare health insurance and am relatively healthy. I did get an STNA awhile back (you don't need this), am in Ohio and am age 60. I can go with that if mom drops dead so I can pay the bills in that event. I'd check this out if your mom can afford to pay you. I only owe on my house but could sell if necessary and have my brother-in-law on the lookout for a one-story fixer-upper as prices around here are not bad and in fact, a glass factory is opening soon close by, so the economy in my town is looking up. Good luck to you.

Today one needs a boat load of retirement funds to carry one through retirement. And by quitting work years before you get Social Security that could have an impact on how much you will get when you do sign up. Social Security uses 35 years for their calculation. If you don't have 35 years of income, they will use zeros for those non-income years until they reach that 35 year point. Your Social Security retirement benefit will be lower, due to the zero earning years. Thus, if you are being paid by a parent, don't forget to pay your payroll taxes.