If you want to help you aging parents by providing care to them yourself, it might be wise to visit a family law attorney for some insight, advice, and help. By taking this step, you could have the lawyer draw up legal documents that provide guidelines, obligations, and responsibilities for you as the caregiver. The benefit of this is that it could be useful to stop quarrels in your family, and it will protect you as the caregiver.
What Kind of Document Is Needed For This?
A family law attorney would probably suggest creating a personal care agreement. This is a legal agreement that is used when a family member takes over the responsibility of caring for another relative. It is commonly used when relatives take over caring for young children, but it is also used when family members assume the role of caring for an aging relative.
There are several important things that should be included in a personal care agreement for caring for your parents, and there are several important reasons you should get one of these made if you are the person that is going to be providing the care for the relatives.
What Should Be Included?
A personal care agreement should always be created by a lawyer, and it should always include the following details:
- The names of all involved – The agreement should include your name as the person that will be providing care, but it should also include the names of your parents, if you are going to be caring for both of them.
- Your responsibilities – In addition to naming everyone involved, a personal care agreement should clearly outline all your responsibilities as the primary caregiver. This should include how often the services will be rendered, the number of hours per week, the types of services you will provide, and any other details about the arrangement. For example, if you will be responsible for giving them medication or taking them to doctor appointments, make sure the agreement states these things.
- Compensation – The final thing that the agreement should clearly state is the compensation you will receive for this. If you are the one providing the care, you should be compensated for this (if your parents have the funds to do this). Your siblings and other family members may be opposed to this; however, you are the one giving your time to provide the care. If they want to be part of the agreement and services, you could work them into the plan when the agreement is created.
Your lawyer may suggest adding additional information to the plan, and you can add other things too, if desired.
What Are The Benefits Of This?
Having this agreement will offer several key benefits, which include:
- Fewer family disputes – When one family member is paid for something like this, others may get upset. With a legal agreement in place, you may experience fewer disputes because you can have the entire family involved with making the decisions that are included in the agreement.
- Proof of where money went – If your parents end up needing full-time care, you may have to place them in a nursing home. If Medicare will be paying their bills for this, they will want to know where all your parent's money went. The personal care agreement will serve as proof of where the money has gone, which will be beneficial for your parents when they apply for nursing home assistance through Medicare.
If you would like to learn more about personal care agreements, you can make an appointment with a family law attorney. He or she can give you the advice and help you need to successfully protect yourself, your family, and your parents during this time.
