Monday, September 1 is Labor Day in the U.S. - a Federal holiday that many nannies and caregivers receive as a paid holiday. Families often struggle with how to calculate the employee's paycheck, especially overtime pay,  when a paid holiday is in the pay period.

Topics: senior caregivers, caregiver payroll, nanny payroll, holiday, senior home-care workers

"Safe Today. Healthy Tomorrow."

Americans over the age of 60 are the single largest demographic group in the country, surpassing children 18 and younger for the first time on record. Today's seniors express a marked preference for aging in place, defined by the Center for Disease Control as "the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level."

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers

The Department of Labor extended minimum wage and overtime rules to most home care workers who aid the elderly, and the media is running to provide perspective on caring for aging Americans.  The new rules, which go into effect Jan. 1, 2015, change how the companionship exemption to minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act works.  Ashlea Ebeling of Forbes recently published a comprehensive article on this matter called, “Hiring Help For Aging Parents? Read This First. “ If you’re fortunate enough to have parents living into their golden years, there will inevitably come a time when you notice that everyday tasks become everyday obstacles, and getting reliable, affordable and caring help becomes the holy grail. 

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, overtime rules, household payroll tax, hiring care for seniors

Inclement weather, train derailments, flight delays- these are all potential situations that could keep a person from their child or elderly relative. But other emergency situations exist- your charge could develop a high fever, knock a pot of boiling water from the stove, develop an allergic reaction that prevents them from breathing - that requires a nanny or senior caregiver to react quickly and make the right choice in getting medical attention. 

Topics: senior caregivers, eldercare, nanny, nannies, emergency plans

Our aging parents deal with physical and sometimes mental declines that challenge their ability to completely take care of themselves on their own.  They don’t like the idea of moving out of their homes to a senior care facility.  How will they safely age at home, in a safe and happy environment?

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, caregiver background screening

Be specific and avoid misunderstanding

Think about the conflicts you encounter in everyday life, and you’ll recognize the role of details in smooth operations and peaceful negotiations.  This is the foundation of a senior home care work agreement.

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, companionship services, senior home care

1. Job Description and Household Rules

Your first step is to do a needs assessment. The more specifically you can identify your senior’s needs – physical, medical and emotional – the better equipped you will be to define a job description for an in-home senior care professional.

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, companionship services

As more and more senior are opting to "age in place", the direct hiring of senior caregivers are being sought out by family members. Families have questions about minimum wage, overtime and questions about what constitutes payable hours during the care day. Often, they are not aware of the tax obligations of employing a household employee.

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, companionship services, companionship exemption

Tips for managing your physical health while caring for an aging family member

With Americans living longer lives and often needing assistance to ensure their well-being, more people are providing care for an aging family member. New additions to our vocabulary like ‘sandwich generation’ and ‘caregiver stress,’ have emerged from this reality.

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, Senior Health guide, companionship services

Monitoring an aging parent’s health

Each year, projections for the average life expectancy of Americans trend up. There are differences by gender, a man reaching age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 84; for a woman the average expectation is 86. In addition to these averages from the Social Security Administration, about one out of every four 65-year-olds today is expected to live past age 90, and one out of 10 past age 95.

Topics: elder care, senior caregivers, companionship services