How much money is fair for my mom with Alzheimer's to contribute to our household?
My question is how much money is fair for my mother to contribute to our household? She has moderate-late Alzheimer's Disease and cannot be alone. She has lived with my husband and I for one year. I work from home and care for her 24/7. She receives $1200 per month from SSA and has no other income or assets. I am her POA and also Representative Payee for her SSA. She cannot understand or agree to any figures so I would like to ask Caring.com for help determining how much of her $1200/month should go to household expenses. Is it fair to charge rent and, if so, how much? SSA is no help although they will require an annual statement of how I have used her money. Thank you.
Expert Answer
Since you provide room and board and 24/7 care, you are entitled to be paid for your services.You can look in the classifieds to see how much an apartment rents for in your area. You can figure out how much extra you spend on food and other staples. You can pay yourself a resonable hourly or weekly wage. Check with an agency to find out what the going rate is for a caregiver. You should charge less than the agency because you are not out to make a profit and you don't have the overhead that a business does. I am sure these expenses will exceed $1,200/month. Be sure to carefully document these expenses, especially the care giving. You should list the services that you are providing and the amount of time you spend on each. A daily or weekly diary is a good idea.