My private pay caregiver is requesting that she be fully compensated for her usual hours even though the patient is currently in a hospital. I’ve been giving her other tasks, such as cleaning, to at least give her something to do & a reason for me to pay her. She is angry about having to “be a maid” (all work is specified to the patient, no other family members, etc. ) And I agree, she is not a maid. Housekeepers are paid a fraction of what she gets. I’ve offered to pay her to visit with the patient in the hospital, but that it will be for travel time/gas & time spent at the hospital, not the full day's pay. Over the holidays I gave her an exceedingly large cash gift in appreciation of her work. Perhaps this why she thinks she can get paid even when there’s no work?
I can’t begin to count the amount of times I’ve been sent home from a job without pay because there simply was no work available that day. I understand & appreciate that we all want job security. But I cannot control the health of the patient. Hospitalization happens.
If it is for a few days I would go ahead and pay the caregiver.
There are a few reasons for this,.
1. Your caregiver can not accept another job for a few days so while your loved one is in the hospital your caregiver still has bills to pay, food to put on her table. Not having an income is difficult.
2. If you want to keep this caregiver paying her for a few days of "vacation" is well worth keeping a good caregiver and not have to go through the hassle of hiring and training a new one.
If this is going to be an extended hospitalization and possibly a bit of time in rehab you might want to let the caregiver know so she can look for another job. It might be that you lose this one or if given notice she might give notice to another job if she gets one. (and if she is good I imagine kit will be easy for them to find employment)
This all started over a few day hospital stay - not prolonged. If it were prolonged, of course it’d be a completely different situation.
And Golly gosh…I gave her a gift of over $5k at Christmas for “vacations”. She gets paid over $1k a week for 3 eight hour shifts. Like I said, we all want job security, we all got bills to pay. I’m paying more than double of what she’d earn under any local agency. I have 3 other caregivers interested in working for me currently. I have absolutely no qualms about more than fair compensation. The work ain’t easy. But, if compensation without work is a common entitlement for private pay caregivers, then perhaps hiring thru agencies is better. I’m just curious if all this common for private pay caregivers. This issue has not been brought up by any other private (PTs come to mind) hires for patient care.
Is she a cash employee? If she were paid legally she could file unemployment for those days.
It is difficult finding good caregivers these days. Pay her if you want to keep her.
If this person is highly valued by you and by your relation she is caring for, then I can see that the circumstances of the patient being in care leaves her without a paycheck.
She does seem, at the same time, to harbor an attitude a tad "entitled". Shows a great unwillingness to be present to perform some other small tasks.
I would say that this is up to you. Making this a gentle "No" leaves you at risk of losing someone who you may otherwise value, and with all the vagaries of hiring another caregiver.
For myself, were I well able to afford this, I would pay her and allow her some few days off for a week. A bit of paid freedom--a gift. Not something I would/could do for long, and I would make that clear.
Ball seems to be in your court. I think no one would judge your decision either way.
I did private-pay caregiving for many years and was in exactly this situation many times. A client gets hospitalized. Or has to temporarily go into rehab. Or goes on a vacation. Whatever.
What I always did was insist on half pay to keep them on my schedule and I do nothing. If a client or their family still expects me to clean the house and visit the client in the hospital, then it's full pay.
I always charged hourly and the price is the price. Half pay if I'm keeping you on the schedule. Full pay if you expect me to clean and stay with the client.
You are paying this caregiver well above what she would make working for an agency or working for someone else.
So there is a good possibility that you would not lose her as a caregiver.
Maybe split the difference. If she is not working because your loved one is in the hospital pay her half her normal rate.
I was a caregiver for several years to a man who handed out a 5K Christmas bonus to his caregivers every year. If the family can afford it, why not?
Bottom line.
If they want to keep the caregiver then pay her not to give another client the hours.
If you let her go, if you employ her properly is she not entitled to pay in lieu of notice? And if you need to find somebody else fast? Probably not that easy and possibly more expensive.
Since Burnt has done this type of work and now owns a business, I would go with half pay. But she did do some work, so maybe this time give her full pay.
”I need help cleaning for moms return. I’d rather pay you over hiring someone else, so I figured I would ask you first.”
Then she can take it or leave it. If she leaves, she was probably going to find some reason to, anyway.
All of the answers from previous posts are good. There are a couple of responses that I especially agree with though, I agree with Stacy to check the workman’s compensation to see if she is covered for housekeeping.
I also like the point that cwille made about not biting the hand that feeds her, especially since her employer has been very good to her.
Each person should show respect and gratitude for each other. It’s an equal partnership. They are dependent upon each other. Therefore, they shouldn’t be in a power struggle with one another.
Do what you can to offer help. My caregivers were happy to clean their apartment and do anything.
I was very blessed to have these ladies.
I’d say it really depends on how much you want to keep this one particular caregiver. Good ones are hard to find, and yet I too, don’t care for attitude.
in my seven years of being a house manager, I never paid caregivers who were not caring for my Mr. and Mrs. They too got bonuses and other perks to keep them happy and none of them complained.
I just read how much you’re paying her. My goodness this woman is not very appreciative. But I would also say at the pay rate you’ve gotten her very used to a healthy income and it would be hard to make ends meet for extended rehab or hospital stays. Other people have good ideas like half pay or having her there @ rehab even if she’s doing nothing but keeping her company.
As a former House Manager who conversed with the head of a caregiving company, we both agree - good caregivers have us by the balls. (I apologize for the graphic but it’s accurate).
she should be willing to do other work for you. keep the communication open.
My in laws have had aides since 2020. For over 28 months, they’d be regularly in the hospital. They did housework to prepare for their return. They took the cat to boarding. Etcetra and so on.
This so,an will always be trouble. I suggest you get rid of her.
I would think that if she expects to get paid while not doing caregiving because of the hospitalization of patient then she needs to do something. I don’t like this person’s attitude. How long will the patient be in the hospital?
If it’s for a short period of time then pay her but she has to do something for the pay and don’t take any crap from her! Housework, hospital visits, etc.
In the meantime, maybe look for someone else. It is difficult to find good help and if you have a good relationship for the most part, try to work something out. In the meantime, look for someone else just in case.
My family hires IHSS caregivers through our county.
Look into it. The caregivers are all background checked and experienced.
I hope you can work something out with this person but definitely look at your options.
This arrangement is a partnership. Why should she demand exactly what she wants? A good deal occurs when both parties are satisfied.
my issue with the caregiver is she should at least go to the hospital and sit with your Mother. She would actually be doing less as they have assistants at the hospital so she would be a companion and assist with issues when the bell isn't answered in a timely fashion.
having someone available that Mom is familiar with also helps prevent institutional dementia which I witnessed with my Grandfather.
if your Mother is released to a rehab facility Medicare will cover up to 100 days. If this happens I would insist she go to the rehab and do her hour's and earn her salary.
I appreciate you paying a generous wage and bonus. I used to get $9.00 an hour as a private aid. The aids at my Moms facility are underpaid as well. They are wonderful and it ticks me off
My only point in all this is not to say that a caregiver is the same as an RN. Not in skills, and WOW, certainly not in salary and benefits. BUT they are more and more needed, and less and less happy with the abuse of being expected to accept less than minimum wage, and no days off, no benefits at all, and to be there when wanted and not when not wanted. The fact that a senior goes into hospital for say four days? One might look on it as a welcome vacation, but certainly it is less welcome when one isn't paid and has bills that will show up no matter whether they can work that day of not.
So right or wrong I think this is coming. We are going to have to pay more for help as there are fewer and fewer to do the work and more and more who need the work done. I think if we CAN (and of course this is paramount) we would be really wise, if we have a worker who is "gold" to do all we can afford to do to appreciate and keep him or her.
Just opinion. I fully recognize how horrifically expensive in home care can be over time. Don't know how many do it. And feel awful for both sides in the issue.