The Virginia Medicaid program offers recipients a good amount of free care from licensed nurses and healthcare professionals. However, the program also offers recipients a limited amount of paid care for their loved ones. Familial caregivers are relatives who provide unpaid care for their parent or other family member with special needs. To become a familial caregiver, you must register with the Board of Nursing and pass an assessment test that helps determine if you have the right education, skills, experience and training to provide safe and compassionate care for your loved one.
Being a paid caregiver for a family member in Virginia is a great way to make extra money and help out someone you love. It can also be very rewarding, so if you’re considering becoming a paid caregiver for your family member, here’s what you need to do.
Step One: Check Your Eligibility
To become a paid caregiver, there are two main eligibility requirements that you’ll need to meet:
1) You must be at least 18 years old.
2) You must have undergone an FBI background check within the last three years.
Step Two: Meet with Your Family Member’s Doctor or Nurse Practitioner
You’ll want to meet with your loved one’s doctor or nurse practitioner before taking on the role of paid caregiver. During this meeting, they’ll go over any medical needs that your family member has and make sure that they feel comfortable working with you in this capacity. This is also where they’ll give you instructions on how best to provide care for your loved one—for example, if they suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, they might need someone who is especially good at communicating with patients who have those conditions. This article also examine how much do family members get paid for caregiving, what states pay family caregivers.
How to become a paid caregiver for a family member in virginia
Qualify as a home care aide in Virginia
If you want to become a home care aide in Virginia, it’s important to know the steps required for certification. The first step is passing an exam from an accredited training program. To do this, you must complete at least 30 hours of classroom instruction on topics such as:
- Personal care
- Safety and emergency procedures
- Infection control practices
- Medication administration
Register as a caregiver in Virginia
You must be registered as a caregiver to be paid for your services. You can register online at www.caregiverinfo.org or by calling the Virginia Department of Social Services at 804-662-6100 (Richmond) or 888-323-7151 (toll free).
You need to be 18 years old, not have been convicted of a felony, and pass a background check before you can register with DSS as a caregiver for payment purposes.
Get a CPR and first aid certification
A CPR and first aid certification is required in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health requires all paid caregivers to complete a certified course for basic life support within the last three years. CPR certification can be obtained from many local fire departments or hospitals, and some community colleges offer courses as well. Each provider has its own requirements for course length and cost; check with your local instructor for more information about these details before signing up!
You’ll also need to get trained on administering basic first aid techniques such as bandaging wounds, checking vital signs, applying tourniquets and splints, etc. First-aid courses are offered through many local fire departments and community colleges—as with CPR certification classes above, make sure you know what’s needed before enrolling in any program! The Department of Health recommends that all caregivers renew their first-aid certifications every two years; this will ensure your knowledge stays current whether you have an emergency situation arise or not!
Get paid for being a caregiver
If you’re caring for a loved one who lives in another state, it can be difficult to know how much money you should charge for your services. After all, there are many factors that go into deciding this number: the amount of time spent providing care, what other family members are contributing and whether or not they are also charging, and of course the monetary value of your own time.
If you’re willing to take on this responsibility and have some knowledge about home health caregiving (which is an entirely different career!), I would recommend working with local agencies that provide in-home care. This will ensure that there’s a network available if an emergency arises while you’re on-the-job.
It’s very doable to become a paid caregiver for a family member.
It’s very doable to become a paid caregiver for a family member. Caregivers should have the ability to:
- Communicate effectively and respectfully with their loved ones and other caregivers
- Identify strengths, weaknesses, and needs of those they are caring for
- Provide emotional support
how much do family members get paid for caregiving
In most cases, the adult child / caregiver is paid the Medicaid approved hourly rate for home care, which is specific to their state. In very approximate terms, caregivers can expect to be paid between $9.00 – $19.25 per hour.
what states pay family caregivers
California, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii are a few of the many states that pay family caregivers and provide ongoing caregiving resources and support.
