My dad just went into a skilled nursing home after a serious fall at home and subsequent rehab. He'll be 90 next week, has CHF, Parkinson's, Type 2 diabetes, previous stroke, and is now experiencing episodes of passing out - he used to live alone but can no longer, he just needs more care. I am an only child and have been caring for him for 7+ years with the help of part-time caregivers at his home. So this nursing home situation is brand new over just the past 2 weeks or so. It's a great home and we are very happy with care there.
While he was still living at home, we had just hired a new caregiver a week before my dad fell. Our previous one, who we loved, had to move out of state with her family. The new caregiver was wonderful and she still texts me and checks on my dad, and she was the one that found him after he fell. I asked her about me hiring her to visit my dad in the nursing home daily while we go on vacation for a week in July and she is interested in helping. She would just be my eyes and ears at the nursing home, keep him company an hour or so a day and do his laundry once while we are gone. I am not sure what a fair pay rate is to pay her for this? Anyone ever done anything like this? Should I offer her hourly rate or more?
I am an only child and there is no one else to help, and this past month has been really rough. I have a teenage daughter and husband and we desparately want to take our annual beach trip. I would feel better knowing my dad has someone checking on him while we are gone.
I wouldn't tell the facility she is a paid caregiver, I would tell them she is a family friend. I don't think it's any of their business.
I would pay her the same rate she would have been getting if she was working for you at the house,
Technically you probably could pay less but if she is good she may be turning down full day jobs to be with your dad for a few hours and do laundry. And it would still be less than if she were working 5, 6 or 7 hours a day for you/him
I would though have her document the hours so that there is "proof" that she worked those hours, Although most facilities have sign in and out sheets so the hours could be tracked but if there is ever need to document the cost of his care this might be important later on.
Even if she does not hold you to a minimum number of hours, keep in mind her commuting time and that by visiting your father she cannot take another job for your father's part of that day. Make it worth her while. It's part of your "vacation budget."
Enjoy the beach.
I charge $35 if it's for one hour only and I have two jobs now that are only one hour each. If you want her there for two hours with him than pay her $50.
You should pay around $50 for her to do his laundry too. Now remember, she has to pick up the laundry, wash, dry, fold, deliver, and put it away. So $50 is fair.
Depending on what state you're in the dollar amounts can be tweaked a bit.
If she worked for you through an agency, offering her what she was getting paid for one hour is a joke. Not even worth her gas to drive to the nursing home. Offer her twice that or better is fair.
How important is this to you? I sure wouldn't nickel and dime it or hourly it. I would offer her $50-$75 a day.
Do you really want to nickel and dime this? How.important is it?
58.5 first six months 2022
62.5 last six months 2022
it has to be worth her while too !!!
nobody’s interested in an hour a day !!!
I like those one-hour assignments because they pay well. Lots of caregivers are interested in those because nobody wants to sit in a nursing home for hours at a time.
Those hour-hour and a half or so assignments are a nice little bit of money and you don't have to do the long haul hours.