I had to quit my job to take care of my mother-in-law who has Alzheimer's. How can I get paid for my services?

Florida has a subsidy program for family caregivers. It pays around $106 a month. They also have an Alzheimer’s disease initiative http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/alz.php
there is no longer a Medicaid waiver but she may qualify for services under the SMMC LTC program, it does pay for personal care-only minimum wage though and not 24/7

Hi Susan,
Just to elaborate on the other responses.... If she is low income and on medicaid, then Florida may have a program that will pay caregivers for seniors. In California, it is called In-Home Support Services (IHSS), it is administered by each county's Dept of Public Social Services, so maybe you can look for a similar program.

If she or her spouse was a veteran, you can look into the VA Aid and Attendant Program which will provide pension payments to veterans or their spouse who require assistance in the home.

A couple of other ways to get paid might be using a long term care policy that she may have purchased in the past, using a viatical settlement company which purchases life insurance policies for a lesser % of the face value, obtaining a reverse mortgage and use the money to pay you for your care. You can also consider trying to locate a work from home job that is flexible around your care giving schedule. These solutions are not right for everyone, but they are options that a lot of people do take.

Kudos to you for taking care of your mother in law, she is very lucky that you have been willing to make such a sacrifice! But you have a life and financial needs too, so I hope you find a way to get paid that suites your situation.

It is the question asked most often on this site The short answer is yes if your state has a program to pay caregivers, but it is not much, and the other option of that a contract be drawn up so the parent(s) pay if they have the resources.

Here is a link to answers to that question.

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-get-paid-for-being-a-caregiver-135476.htm

Is your MIL on Medicaid? Some states (and it seems online that Florida is one of them) may pay family members for a certain number of hours of caregiving if the person needing care is on Medicaid. The pay rate for these sorts of programs is apparently very minimal.

If your MIL isn't on Medicaid, the other option would be for her to pay you out of her savings for retirement or any income she currently receives.

Is she the widow of a veteran? That may be another avenue to look into.

Good luck!