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yourflyguy, oh my gosh, you both gave up your jobs to take care of Grandmother. Whenever someone gives up employment, they lose more than just a salary [depending on the type of job].... one also gives up payroll taxes that are added to Social Security and Medicare.... one also gives up the net value of health insurance... matching 401(k).... paid vacation days... paid sick days.... company life insurance, etc.

I see from your profile that your Grandmother has a heart condition/stroke. May I ask how old is your Grandmother? Being bedridden is probably from a stroke, correct? Has Grandmother been to rehab?

The amount of pay at $10/hour for 24 hours comes to $7,200 per month. So no wonder the family doesn't want to pay you and your sister more.

Honestly, it would be better for Grandmother to go to Assisted Living for the same cost per month, and you and your sister could go back to work. You both need to save for your own future.
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Do any of these family members ever provide respite? And not just for an hour or two. Just who are these family members?
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GREEDY??? Let your family member spell you for 24 hrs and see what they think is "appropriate compensation" then.

I don't think $10 an hour is even minimum wage.
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Freqflyer,
Thank you for your comments, they are very helpful. My sister and I are both providing 24/hour care, she is bed ridden and completely dependent on us. each earning $10 per hour. Family members think we are being greedy and we wanted to see what others think since this is the first time we've been through this. We have both given up our jobs during this time of caring for our grandma.
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If the person can get themselves in and out of bed and to the bathroom then they aren't bedridden, to me that implies total care and either lots of muscle or mechanical lifts to get in and out of bed, to toilet them (if they still use the toilet or commode) and to bathe or shower them. It also means the person is dependent on someone being there 24/7 because even if there is no dementia they can not help themselves.

Something else to consider is having a caregiver contract drawn up so that any money paid will be counted as a legitimate expense should the caregiver burn out and care recipient needs medicaid in the future.
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It's all about negotiation and what are the alternatives. For night time caregiving for a person is sleeps most of the night, it might be $8-10/hour. For daytime, maybe $15-20/hour.
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This is a very difficult question. There are so many factors involved. I know money is an important part but sometimes that does really compensate the caregiver for being with a person 24/7 or being responsible for their care especially if they are bedridden. Even if a family member is paid for their time, it can still lead to anger and resentment. It might be better to hire an outsider but I guess it just depends. I would check with a local care agency and see what the going rate is.
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Yourflyguy, the pay would be what ever you and the family member agree upon. Private experienced caregivers charge in my area $30/hour. Then one has to decide how payroll taxes will be charged? There are paycheck companies that do that for you at a charge.

If your use a caregiving Agency, the Agency handles the payroll, plus they are licensed, bonded, insured, and have workman comp in case an employee gets hurt on the job.

Can the bedridden person be mobile enough to get his/herself out of bed and into a wheelchair and then into the bathroom? If not, would the family member be strong enough to lift that person? Or is the patient totally bed-bound? If totally bed-bound, the family member would need to turn the patient numerous times during the day so that bed sores won't develop.

Is this a 24-hour caregiving day? Or just 8 or 12 hours per day with you coming home for the evening shift?
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It depends.
Generally a family caregiver is willing to work for much less than an outsider would charge, but caring for a bedridden person is a full time job so whoever the caregiver is needs to be compensated commensurate with anyone else in that position. If the caregiver gave up employment to be a caregiver then the pay and benefits they are losing out on should be part of the calculation. And the income of the care recipient and their ability to pay also needs to considered.
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