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My husband hires an independent (non-agency) in-home caregiver for his mother, 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. He intends to give the caregiver paid holidays on Thanksgiving and Christmas. His mother will be spending those days and the day following each holiday at his brother's house. His question is, "Is it customary to also pay the caregiver for the day after the holiday, if the person being cared for doesn't need them?"


Or, in general, if the one cared for is out of the house and not needing care, is it proper to simply tell the caregiver, "We won't need you tomorrow."


My husband is concerned that his very excellent caregiver would be losing income that she can't pick up elsewhere.


This issue is not addressed in any written agreement.

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I would absolutely let the caregiver know the services will not be needed on the holiday /days you intend to have your mother in law spend with family. And to let them know far enough in advance That way the caregiver could make plans for their own family holiday. Then I would probably pay for the holiday in advance and any bonus I felt necessary would prob come with the Christmas check.. Im not sure I would pay for the day after Thanksgiving
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Thanks for your help. Does anyone else have any input?
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Ten hours' pay might make quite a lot of difference to the caregiver if she were to lose it. Plus, what if for some reason your MIL isn't able to travel, and she does need care after all, and he's already told the caregiver she won't be wanted and she won't be paid...

It seems a bad idea to risk spoiling a good relationship for such a small amount of money, and such an awkward amount of time for her to make up elsewhere. If your MIL were going to be away for two weeks or something it might be different. But two odd days? Can it really be worth it?
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I always paid Moms (excellent) private caregiver for any days off that normally she would work but I didn’t need her. Those days were very few and far between, similar to your situation. I also gave her a weeks pay as Christmas bonus.
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While your husbands mother may not need her caregiver- there’s a good chance the caregiver still needs the money. Especially during the holiday season.

An “excellent” caregiver can be hard to find - and hard to keep if she doesn’t receive payment she is counting on but not receiving for no fault of her own. So why take the risk?

At the most it will be a gesture that makes her feel valued and appreciated. At the least - she might feel shortchanged and taken for granted. Seriously- you don’t want the latter.
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My mom always said “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”. If she’s an excellent caregiver, pay her and give her a small bonus as a Holiday gift as well. I’m sure it won’t break the bank and she’ll certainly appreciate it.
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I would pay the caregiver. It’s too difficult to find good people.
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