I'm looking for someone who will take care of my 96 year old aunt who will live in with her rent free with little pay. Where do I start?

I have a question: if your aunt has a maid who 'comes on weekdays', she's obviously paying quite a bit of $$$ for that service. Every time I utilize my house cleaner, she charges me $120.00 for 4 hrs worth of cleaning, or, $30/hr. If she came to clean my home daily, I'd be paying her $600 per week for 20 hrs of service, Monday thru Friday. Why, if, your aunt is willing to pay for weekday maid service, would she be unable/unwilling to pay accordingly for a caregiver's valuable services? Anyone who can afford a maid can afford lots of other luxuries too.......not to mention that this type of care giving is a necessity while maid service is a luxury! Nobody on earth 'needs' a maid to come into their home every day!!

Makes no sense.

Very bizarre.

Not to make light of the question in case it's sincere, but how about someone on the lam from the law? Someone who needs to hide out for awhile, never go out, not have any incriminating financial activity that the feds could pick up on (due to the low pay, preferably in cash). . . I know when I don't have my sibling's help with 24/7 care, most days I am only outside to pick up the newspapers and take out the trash. Perfect for a fugitive from justice!!

I am going to posit that John is "asking for his aunt," and already knows the answer to his question. Honorable Mother-in-Law thought that it would be "easy" (and a great idea that she came up with all by herself!) to find someone who wanted to live in a beautiful part of the country "for free" in exchange for taking care of her full-time. Fortunately we were able to head that one off at the pass...

Here is a strapline from a reputable and well-established agency that seems to provide just the sort of full-time companionship with personal care and ADL assistance you're asking about:

"Carers available now, Prices from just £745* per week."

*US$ 949.28 at today's exchange rate.

How little was the pay you had in mind?
What is your assessment of the hours and skills involved in performing this role satisfactorily?
Had you in fact reconciled these factors?

Only if someone wanted to be an indentured servant....with no life or ability to make plans or do anything for themselves with no money and having to care for a stranger full time. The posters here are right on target with comments.

This is a joke, right?

Per month, how many hours does the person need to be at home to help including the time the person must be there to be 'on call'? How much would you pay per hour?

Calculate this amount. Say 5 hours/day x $15/hr x 30 days. You get $2,250.

Now, how much would you charge that person in rent for living at your place? Say $800 including utilities. The difference is what you should pay.

However, can your aunt be left alone? Given your aunt's health, not able to walk, sounds like someone has to be there 24/7. The cost to have someone there 24/7 is way more than you would pay at a nursing home.

Something else to think about when you have a stranger living with your aunt. Will that person abuse and neglect the aunt, steal from her, move other people in with them, do drugs, etc. And when you want that person to move out, if he/she won't, then you have to go through the whole process of evicting him/her.

First off- this isn't a employment board--so your "any takers" query was, I hope, in jest. ( Altho, in the ironic way of the world, my daughter lives neat Great Falls, VA)

I cannot think of a single soul who would take on the souls sucking job of FT caregiving for an elderly person they don't know.

Just setting up such an arrangement would be daunting, and you should utilize the services of an attorney in establishing a legitimate "business" arrangement.

And would you WANT somebody who is so free and easy to be available 24/7 to be the kind of person you'd hire?

I worked for the one of the country's largest home-health companies. Pay was a joke, but that aside, they DID have me bonded, insured and "had my back" so to speak.

If you do not have willing family (I'm thinking a responsible college student who needs a place to live & some cash in exchange for the care she'd be giving) then I would go through a reliable agency.

I know you're trying to "kill two birds" here and it could work out fine--but cross your t's and dot your i's. Everything needs to be legal and written out and discussed.

People you'd think would NEVER cross you or screw you over can, in fact, become the biggest trials you've ever encountered.

Honestly, sounds like auntie's needs are far more than you indicate. She probably needs 24/7 care in an ALF. Probably doesn't want to go---but sadly that is what happens when we "live too long". (I don't intend for that to sound mean. But, with my MIL and Mom both turning 89 this year and watching their slow slide into senesence---heart breaking.

Are you aware that once someone is officially living there, if you need to fire them that you have to go through an eviction process? Also, how little are you wanting to pay? If they have bills of any kind (credit card, vehicle, etc.) they have to be able to meet those expenses. Will they have days off? There’s a lot to think about here.