How much to pay for home care for an elderly person overnight?
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Anonymous
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Hours are 7pm- 8am. 5 days/wk. Would be paying $300/ wk. This equals out to about $4/ hr. Is that okay? Is it less because the person would be sleeping for most of the time?
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Anonymous
| No, it's not okay to pay sub minimum wage. The elderly person might be sleeping all night, but the caregiver can't, they need to monitor the patient. |
Anonymous
| Can you afford a fair wage, OP? |
Anonymous
| Is the caregiver allowed to sleep when the person who is being cared for goes to sleep? Or do you expect them to be sitting up in a chair the whole night? |
Anonymous
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No, it's not OK. You get what you pay for. Situations like this will guarantee your relative gets poor care. My uncle did something like this for my grandfather, and because I was a grandchild, not a child, my objections were overruled. The only people willing to work for such a wage are untrained and generally not a great fit.
The person may be sleeping "most" of the time, but will be awake quite a few hours in the schedule you describe. |
Anonymous
| This is well below minimum wage and you know it's wrong OP. Elder care rates in this area range from $11 (very low) to $18 per hour and some overnight jobs pay time and a half or more. |
Anonymous
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Op here,
I'm actually going to be the caregiver. I was wondering if this is normal. |
Anonymous
The only way it might be legal to pay less than minimum wage is if they are also charging you for rooming and taking it out of your paycheck. It is not a great deal, though. They should at least be offering you $10/hour. |
Anonymous
| I'd ask for at $500 a week plus your own room and food. |
Anonymous
No, it's not normal, and anyone who will take advantage of you like this at the outset will continue to take advantage of you in other ways as well. People who respect the work you'll be doing will also pay you an appropriate wage. |
Anonymous
| I agree with the posters who state that this job should, at the very least, come with free housing (and preferable a private bath). If you benefit from the housing and the additional stipend, great! Does the elderly person in question actually sleep through the night without any assistance? It could be that you're just there for an occasional emergency situation. If the elderly person is truly sleeping, I think that a small stipend could be warranted IF the job is worth it to you. |
Anonymous
+1,000,000 - Don't do it, OP. |
Anonymous
| LMAO I don't know where you can find someone willing to come over and watch for $300/wk but its not DC |
Anonymous
| Sorry just read your correction. OP ask for $500/wk minimum plus your room and health insurance. A tiny home in their backyard if you can swing it. |
Anonymous
| We paid $20/hour for care for my dad. $4/hr is insane. |