How can I get paid for being a family caregiver?

Does your loved one have resources to pay you? Then they should! And it should be in the here-and-now, not a pie-in-sky inheritance. You need to have a caregiver agreement in place.

I'm guessing that the family member can't pay you. Medicaid has a program that supplies in-home help. They determine a number of hours of caregiving the person is qualified for, and then an outside caregiver can be hired for those hours, or (in most states) a family member can be paid for it. Would your loved one qualify for Medicaid?

I am not aware of any other programs for in-home care. Contact your Area Agency on Aging and see if there are any other programs in your area.

This is really tough, isn't it? Most of us in an age bracket to be caregivers also need an income. We want to help, but we also have to think of our future.

Good luck!

First of all, more caregivers are not paid. Secondly, if your family member has enough money, you two can sign a caregiver agreement in which they promise to pay you ___ for doing ____. As their employee, they will need to contribute to your social security.

All in all, I would suggest trying to find other means to pay for your family member's care other than you quitting your job, then not having any insurance, and spending your whole retirement on taking care of them. You may be able to find some small amounts of money through your state medicaid, but nothing you find will be a living wage.