Out of necessity, cost savings, or both, many family members choose to provide care for their loved ones themselves. It’s a huge sacrifice that can cost you your job, benefits, and retirement savings.
If you’ve ever wondered how to become a paid caregiver for a family member, ponder no more. We’re here to help with everything you need to know.
how to become a family member caregiver
What Is a Caregiver?
Let’s take a closer look at how to define a caregiver. Simply put, a caregiver is anyone that gives assistance to someone else that needs a bit of extra help in taking care of their activities of daily living (ADL).
These are some of the tasks that caregivers perform:
- Buying groceries
- Providing transportation
- Prescription reminders
- Meal preparation
- Providing companionship
- Ensuring their safety and well-being
The task of caring for another person may only require a few hours a week, or it could be a much more burdensome commitment. No matter how much time you spend in caregiving, it takes away from your ability to earn money outside the home, making it challenging for you to meet your own obligations
The good news is that we’re providing a helpful guide to inform you on how to get paid for being a family caregiver.
The Benefits of Becoming a Family Caregiver
There are programs available that provide financial assistance and respite care for family caregivers that are or would like to become family caregivers.
As your loved ones age, other family members begin to notice they can’t do as much for themselves as they once could. It’s natural to pitch in and lend a hand. Family members may drive their elderly parents or another loved one to a doctor’s appointment, throw in a load of laundry, or provide a meal. Over time, seniors may need more and more help. Whether you realize it or not, these are the types of duties that caregivers do on the job every day. When caregiving duties begin to impact your own life, you may have the option of formalizing those duties by becoming a full-time or part-time paid caregiver.
There are three benefits in this:
- As a caregiver, you’ll develop empathy for your loved one and others who are aging, and the time you spend together will deepen your bond and strengthen your relationship.
- Caregiving provides the added benefit of giving you a sense of satisfaction, purpose, and self-worth. The care you provide directly impacts your loved one’s quality of life, and yours as well, knowing that your loved one has the best possible care provider.
- If you’re being compensated for the care you provide, you can support yourself and are likely to be able to spend more time caring for your loved one, which has innumerable benefits to their quality of life.
Loved ones that need care usually prefer to be cared for by someone they know, and learning how to become a caregiver that gets a paycheck isn’t as complicated as you may think.
Qualifying for Home Care Programs
As you explore the possibilities for how to become a caregiver for a family member, you’ll need to determine eligibility for various government-sponsored paid caregiver programs.
The simplest way to check if you qualify: contact Advanced Care at 262-236-9194! We have professional staff that will do all the legwork needed to determine eligibility. If eligible, we’ll take care of all the necessary paperwork. Generally speaking, Medicaid-eligible seniors that have a need for in-home care should qualify. If you aren’t sure if your loved one fits this description, here are some of the things we’ll need to help us make a determination:
- Level of care needed – Tell us the type of assistance your family member needs
- Finances – Calculate your loved one’s income and assets; this will be needed to determine Medicaid eligibility, if they aren’t already a participant in a Medicaid program
- Veteran status – Veterans have access to programs through the Veteran’s Administration
- Age – For some programs, your loved one must be over the age of 65
- State of residence – States offer their own programs to supplement federal assistance
We’re familiar with the requirements for family caregiving in Wisconsin, and we’re happy to help!
Medicaid is one of the primary sources of federal aid for seniors. These are some of the things Medicaid covers:
- Hospital care
- Doctor’s visits
- Home health care
- Personal care services
- Long-term care
We’ll help walk you through the process for these services.
How to Become a Paid Caregiver for a Family Member
There are some requirements to be compensated for serving as a caregiver for a loved one if you intend to get services using Medicaid. Review the following requirements to make sure you meet them:
- You must be 18 or older
- You may not be the spouse of the person needing care
- You must successfully complete all caregiver training requirements (provided by Advanced Care)
- You must provide evidence that you’ve had a tuberculosis screening (one that meets CDC guidelines)
If a family member needs assistance, you might be the right person for the job, and it’s rewarding too! It alleviates the worry about safety and quality of care. That’s real peace of mind!
