We have been getting home support in 3x a week. They come in the morning on mom's dialysis days to help her with personal care and meals, and back in the evening to help with meals and make sure mom is comfortable. They do quite a lot in a small amount of time, including some housework like dishes or bedmaking, and it's a huge help to me - I can now sleep in a bit on dialysis days (my morning personality is not suited to helping someone shower or clean their bottom!!), and I can plan evening activities knowing someone is there to make sure mom is safe and looked after.
We're in Canada. This is organized through the public health system, but the home support is operated by a private company that holds the contract with the government. How much you pay is based on your income - low income people would get a full subsidy for home support, for example. Mom has enough income that we are not subsidized, but honestly, I feel what we pay is pretty nominal ($40 per day), and consider us lucky to live where we do. For that, we get about an hour and a quarter's worth of home care per day - 45 minutes in the morning and a half hour in the evening. We could get up to 4 hours per day if we were assessed for needing that much. The down side of using "public" home support instead of going to a private company is that there is a rotating group of workers, and who we get when can be a little unpredictable.
I know these women - they are almost all women - don't make much money in comparison to the work they do. Minimum wage in my province is $11.35, and I'd be surprised if they make much more than that. I'd guess $12-15 at most. Lots of them seem to be single moms. We don't always get the same workers, but there are 2 regular ladies that mom and I both really like, and these 2 almost always do the morning the shifts (which are the longest and most physically intimate). The rest are workers we see occasionally, but we're getting to know them too.
So my question is - is it appropriate to tip home support workers during the holidays? And how much do you think would be appropriate? Would you differentiate between the workers who provide regular care and the ones who are there occasionally? Would it be more appropriate to give gifts? (I don't do holiday baking or crafts, so it would end up being store bought gifts.) I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this!
The problem with this policy is that an exceptional caregiver doesn't directly receive the gift of appreciation she deserves! I suspected that the agency of our mom's reliable caregiver had such a policy, so we slipped cash into a Christmas card. She was very grateful.
I volunteer in a literacy program and a student gave me a thank-you note with a cash gift. I was touched by her gesture but embarrassed; I didn't need the cash, and she had dug deeply into her pocket to give it.
My program director said I could suggest she donate the money to the program instead. The program receives an abundance of donations and grants, so I found that idea offensive. I wrote her a warm thank you card returning the cash, explaining I'm not allowed to accept it, and would be happy to go for coffee one day together after class instead.
We are in BC, Canada. Home support is provided by a private agency under contract to the regional (public) health care body. We pay the agency directly, but the fee scale (even if you don't get subsidized, which we don't) really seems nominal compared to what people are paying in the US, considering we could get up to 4 hours a day for $40 if we needed it (less than minimum wage). I guess technically we pay the rest through our tax dollars. But having been an office temp at one point in my life, I know how much usually goes to the agency and how little goes to the worker!
My mom is in NH so we can't do gifts to anyone over a few dollars however they usually have a Xmas party so I donate a nice bottle of wine for the draw they have at the party so it is not to any 1 person but to the group - these parties are generally in early Dec. so do it soon - this way the maintenance man / cook / directer all have equal chance to get the gift & they do as much behind the scenes as the front line people
There are laws here in Ontario that no person working with vulnerable people can accept significant gifts or they can be charged with elder abuse so by going to a group not a person then that means no body is singled out - hope this helps
What if the gift comes from a family member of the vulnerable person though?
Make a donation in her name to a non=profit of her choice. Make her a goodie plate or something small (a scarf or pair of gloves) but stay away from cash or gift cards. The aide needs to reports all gifts received to the agency they work for.