Long Term Care: Caregiver Agreements

It’s becoming more and more popular for family members and friends to assist their loved ones with long term care needs.  This can be a great way to keep a loved one in the home while also allowing her to live a more comfortable life.  If you’re thinking about becoming a caregiver to your loved one, you may want to consider the use of a caregiver agreement.  Caregiver agreements allow you and your loved one to create a care plan.  Take a look at the information below, to better understand how a caregiver agreement works.  If you have any questions, or if you’d like to discuss long term care agreements, contact an estate planning attorney.

• Setting Expectations:  A caregiver agreement can be used to outline certain expectations.  This can give everyone a better understanding of the care that will be provided, and can help your loved one and you agree on daily duties.  It can also help to ensure that all aspects of your loved one’s needs are met.
• Compensation: If compensation is offered, a caregiver agreement can make it easier to spell out the financial terms. This gives everyone a clear understanding of the total compensation as well as the expectations that must be met in order to be paid.  Sometimes, caregiver agreements are used in nursing home planning (i.e. qualifying for Medicaid to pay nursing home costs.)
• Medicaid Qualification:  This agreement can also help your loved one to qualify for certain benefits such as Medicaid.  If drafted in the right way, you can ensure that the compensation that is given doesn’t interfere with your loved one’s ability to receive additional governmental benefits and aid.  On the other hand, compensation that is not properly covered by a caregiver agreement may lead to disqualification from Medicaid benefits.

If you’re considering providing long term care to your loved one, you may consider the use of a caregiver agreement.  With the help of an estate planning attorney, you can ensure that the agreement is legal and effective.