How much time should a live in caregiver have off?

Some family members take advantage of live in care givers thinking they no longer have to spend any more time with their loved ones because they have you there.
I would think you would get burned out pretty fast if you’re the only one there 24/7. And it probably also turned into cooking & cleaning if I’m not mistaken. Check websites for cost of daily caregiving & tell them you want to be paid accordingly.

I have done private care for clients in their homes for 20+ years. I have done live in care as well. My last client was a live in. I made sure to have a contract between the family and myself that documented every detail of what was expected of me as the caregiver as well as what I expected from the family as well. You should have time off every day that you work. A regular job working 8 hrs a day allows for usually a 30 minute lunch break and 2 15 minute breaks during your shift. So if you are working 24 hrs you should be having 90 minutes for lunch and another 90 minutes for normal breaks. Do they pay you for 8 hrs of sleep time daily or is it unpaid sleep time? If it's unpaid sleep time are you being compensated for waking up to provide care for your client? These are just some things to take into consideration the next time you take on another 24 hr live in position. Have you considered asking the daughter if you can have someone come in to give you breaks as needed if you compensate out of your daily rate that they pay you? I was able to hire additional help when I needed it but was required to pay them directly since I was paid a flat daily rate. Just things to consider! Caregiving is not an easy job by no means so I applaud you for the work you do!

Look at it this way. There is no "rent". You are a live in caregiver for the daughter's convenience. You are on call all the time. 24/7 and should be paid accordlingly and have time off.

Hattygirl, who did you make this agreement with? Your client with dementia, or her daughter?

hattygirl, My wife is living with and caring for her mother(95 yrs old, totally dependent-hospice, some dementia). My wife is getting paid from her mother's savings and income....$3500 a month(that's $4.86 an hour for 24/7 care). She gets breaks once or twice a day from me for from 2 to 4 hours. We a have friend that is an experienced caregiver. He gets $20 an hour. He makes anywhere from $180 to $700 a week taking care of her mother. This provides time for shopping, taking dog out for walks and dog park, and an occasional restaurant visit. My wife was a CNA 20 years ago. Doing toileting, dressing, feeding, cleaning the house and clothes has physically taken its toll. She has been at it for over a year and she is getting burned out. She is paying for respite care from her income. Her brother visited recently and is alarmed at how much this hired caregiver is making. He sees this as a threat to his inheritance. WWWHHHAAAAA!!! When he was visiting he and his wife were terrified of being left alone with his mother. "What would we do if mom needed changing or started choking, or fell out of her wheelchair???" What a wus. I've changed his mom's depends and cleaned her up and lived through it. My wife has two older brothers. Being the female sibling of course implies that the job falls to her.

Hattygirl you absolutely need a minimum of a couple of hours off during the day. You are a hero and a blessing to your loved one.

If you are a paid caregiver. not family, then this is slave labor. If you were an LPN or RN, the law does not allow them to work over 16 hrs a day. I think there is a limit to how many days in a row. I would say they need another caregiver for at least weekends. Call the labor board and see if they have limitations.

Sort of depends on the situation.
I cared for my Husband 24/7 and it was not until his last 2 years that I hired part time caregivers. A few hours 4 days a week. Other than that I worked 24/7/365 and did not get paid.
There are plenty of people on this site that are caring for loved ones and they get no pay and little time off.

If however you are a paid caregiver, unrelated to the person you are caring for then it would be determined by state law how many hours you can work, your time off daily. And I do hope the people you are working for are paying Social Security for you as well as paying any taxes that are required and not leaving the taxes as your responsibility at the end of the year. And I do also hope you have insurance in case or I should say when you become injured doing your job. And there is a minimum wage.
Just for a base line you might want to call several agencies in your area and see how much a Live In Caregiver would be paid and how much time off they get.

Oh dear, this is really the kind of question you need to ask before you take the job. I know that doesn't help you, I'm sorry.

I'm sure Tacy is right. You should be able to look up that kind of labor law / regulation guidance on your own state's website.

My MIL has a caregiver from Sunday night to Friday night. The person stays with her all of the time, except when she's in bed asleep. But my MIL does not have significant dementia, and the actual work required is minimal - pretty much the ordinary routines a person does for herself in a typical day. What's more, her caregivers come from an agency, and the agency employs three regular caregivers who each spend several weeks on this one client. Whether weekends off would be enough for you very much depends on what you're coping with.

You're the only caregiver - is there anybody else in the household at all? Other family members, cleaners, visiting therapists, anybody?

What agreement did you make with your client or her family? Agreements can always be renegotiated - I'm asking so that we know where you're starting from.