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I'm an experienced caregiver and also worked for 30 years as a Certified Medical Assistant so I have alot of knowledge and skills in multiple specialities. Recently I have been offered a live in caregiver position in a beautiful but large home, roughly 3000+ sf. My patient is male and suffered a stroke 9 years ago. With minimal assistance his is able to get out of his bed and into his wheelchair and requires minimal assistance in the bathroom, just with standing and sitting on the toilet. He is able to bathe himself with me only needing to help him with washing his feet and back as well as drying my off and dressing him. I prepare all his meals, dispense his medications, and physical therapy 3x daily to help build his strenght and dexterity in hopes of him being able to use a walker with supervision. Minimal overnight care is also needed. Im also responsible for the house cleaning, grocery shopping and anything else household related. His family has a home right next to him and visit daily and happily assist with anything needed, lovely family who have made me feel so welcome and comfortable. My question is what is a fair charge for my services as a live in caretaker and have free room and board?

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"free room and board" do not exist.
You are going to be paying for room and board in one way or another.
Legally you can not work 24/7/365, mentally and emotionally you can not work 24/7/365 so other arrangements MUST be made.
The cost of care is vastly different in different parts of the country. Call a couple of care agencies and ask what they charge. Keep in mind that a caregiver from an agency legally in most areas can not dispense medication. They can place it on the table but if the patient can not pick it up and take it the agency would require a Nurse. As a private hire the employee can instruct you to do what they need you to do.
Also a hired caregiver would not do actual PT but they could do "range of motion" movements.
You might also call a few Cleaning services and aske what they charge for cleaning a 3000+sf home and add that to your caregiving charges.
Have a contract in place as to what you will do what you can not do, what you will not do. I would word it so that it is reviewable every 6 months.
Make sure taxes are taken out and it is properly reported so that you do not have to worry about taxes and that Social Security is being paid. This is for your future!
I am sure that you will get other more legal responses in a bit....
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Here is a Florida site that charges $240 a day for live in caregivers.

$5-6000 a month sounds about right.

https://caregiversfinder.com/homeaide?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4eYBhDrARIsANPywCjYqhd03eLmShDmrqrWqnwFjHZkCg_otWdXu0_J0iYNO6-qDCgBXoQaAuK5EALw_wcB
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You should not be responsible for housecleaning. They should hire a house cleaner to come in every other week to do the major things, such as cleaning floors and woodwork, etc. You should take care of minor housecleaning tasks like doing his personal laundry and changing his sheets, loading and unloading the dishwasher and sweeping up spills. You should cook for him and for you, but doing all the grocery shopping, especially if his nearby family drops by often and expects to be fed, is a major chore. You could keep a grocery list and his family could either order online to be delivered to his house or shop at the store and bring it to you. You’ll need a relief caregiver to be with him when you have to leave to take care of your own personal business or just need a weekend at your home. You should not have to care for a pet, which adds a whole new aspect to the job you’re employed to do. Emptying a litter box or walking a dog aren’t normal caregiver duties. Make sure you know how his meds are obtained - do you have to pick them up at the drugstore? Does he get home delivery? Where will you sleep? How will you know if he has a night emergency? Will you use a monitor that alerts you? Are you expected to sleep on a recliner in his room? Are your family and friends allowed to visit you at his house? These questions and more need to be answered. For my parents, whose limitations were similar to what you’ve described, I employed a 24/7 caregiver like you. (First for dad, then mom, who had been in AL until dad died, so the caregiver didn’t care for both at the same time.) We also had a relief caregiver and a couple more that we could call. I was there often. PT exercises were a tough job, so we had a PT come to the house on a regular schedule. It took all of us to keep this going for 6 years. This was in Florida ten years ago and we paid the 24/7 live-in $275 per day/night. She got that amount even if the relief came in and was paid while the live-in was out. The relief was paid $25 per hour. It is very important that the live-in and the relief(s) work well together.
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Both CNAs and HHAs do what is called "light housekeeping". If they want things scrubbed, windows washed then they pay a house cleaner .

I think you need to go to the Labor board and see what is required of a live in caregiver. This subject has been discussed many times in this forum. And this is what I get from these discussions.

Room and Board are not part of your salary, its a perk. You must have a room to yourself.

You work just like everyone else. 40 hours a week with time off. Your time off, someone else has to be hired. You get paid by the hour not salary. The hours you work can be negotiated. If he sleeps thru the night, then no caretaking there. Just do not let them make u a slave. The amt you make is between u and them. Its said for a live in at least minimum wage. My State thats $12 others they are under $10. I would say at least $15. Start higher can be negotiated. Your responsibilities are alot and you should be paid well for that.

Have a contract and have it written by a lawyer. They should take out payroll taxes and make sure the money goes to the right agencies. From what I understand, IRS considers live-in Caregivers employees not self-employed. Something to check out. The contract should say how many hours you will work and the amt to be paid. Also, a list of your duties. What happens if your client dies? Are you expected to leave the house upon his death or will you have a week or two with pay or severance pay.

"dispense his medications, and physical therapy 3x daily"

In my State CNAs are not allowed to dispense drugs. They are not allowed to fill med planners. (Unless medtechs) They are allowed to remind the person to take their meds. Hand them the pill planner but not touch medication in any way. Are u doing the actual physical therapy or just monitoring that he is doing his exercises correctly. If not licensed, you should not be doing hands on. You can agree to anything you want I guess but if something happens concerning a medication or in his therapy, you can be held responsible.

It all comes down to protecting yourself. This is a job and like any job you except you negotiate.
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