My brother's mother-in-law had a stroke and is in hospital and the prognosis isn't looking good. She was the primary caregiver for her hubby with dementia. I've been asked to spend nights on their couch for his protection. They asked me to let them know how much I want for my time etc...
I have NO IDEA what to say. I need the money more than I like to admit but feel bad taking anything cause they are practically family. What should I ask for cause when I googled the average there were astronomical rates???
Be honest and tell them what you normally get paid. At $10 an hour for a 12 hour shift, you would be getting $120 a day. They might agree to that, but other relatives may not. So you may not get much of anything.
Be sure you give them a deadline and stick to it.
Gosh, I am thinking about your brother's mother-in-law and her stroke. Makes me wonder if her caregiving for her husband was too much for her to do during the time frames where the Caregivers weren't there. That's exhausting work for a senior. Hopefully she will recover, but both her and her husband need to be in a retirement community.
I'm with you on feeling odd though. Sometimes friends or family say how much would you charge, but they really think you won't charge. But, if you need the money, then I would just say so. I would not expect someone to do it for free if I were in their shoes.
Where are you freqflyer where it is $8-$15/per hour? If I said the minimum and then the care becomes maximum, I would hate to ask for even more...so I am thinking....maybe $10? Whatdyathink?
Is that something you can do? There are many different aspects of caring for someone with dementia. Does the father need help with walking, with eating, with bathing, with going to the bathroom. Would you be able to pick him up if he fell. Would you have much privacy sleeping on the sofa? Some people with dementia will wander around the house at night. You need to take this all into consideration. For your sake, hope it is just temporary.
As for pay, it is usually around $8 to $15 per hour depending on what you need to do. The more responsibilities, the higher the hourly pay.