Live-in aides are an invaluable way to provide continuity for clients while relieving family caregivers of some of their duties. However, it’s crucial that owners understand how to accurately qualify live-in aides.
Key is for an aide to reside only long enough to provide necessary supportive services to someone with a disability; owners should not categorically exclude their spouses as potential aides.
How do I qualify as a live-in aide?
Live-in aide positions offer an ideal way to gain experience in healthcare and pursue careers such as nursing or certified nursing assistant. A live-in aide may also reduce the number of caregivers working with disabled residents while providing consistent care, but there are certain restrictions as to who qualifies. Property owners should be mindful of this restriction when hiring live-in aides.
Spouses can serve as live-in aides and HUD regulations state that relatives may also act in this capacity for Section 8, PRAC, 202, and rural housing programs. A separated spouse cannot be reimbursed by the resident for providing this support service and income verifications must be obtained to prove that an aide is providing necessary supportive services related to tenant disability.
Each affordable housing program has different rules and occupancy standards; in general a live-in aide must pass a criminal background check as part of their full-time role as caregiver, and only be permitted into the unit as an accommodation after making this request. Any rises in rent should also not occur upon this request from their employers.
What is a 24-hour live-in aide?
If your loved one requires around-the-clock assistance, a live-in home health aide may be the perfect solution. A live-in aide acts as a 24/7 caregiver in their own home to provide assistance as outlined in their care plan.
Though not often offered by Visiting Angels agencies, some do offer this form of care. Under such arrangements, a single caregiver would be booked for 24 hour shifts with an 8-hour sleep break scheduled in between shifts.
This emergency rule seeks to clarify longstanding policy, commonly known as “the 13-hour rule”, that mandates compensation of live-in home health aides for up to 13 hours of a 24-hour shift provided they receive 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep, plus 3 for meal breaks. Turning and positioning, diaper changes and transportation assistance do not disqualify this arrangement, however any person receiving this type of care must also possess enough personal hygiene abilities in order to perform them themselves without assistance at night time unless there is documented medical need.
What is a non-24 hour live-in aide?
Seniors often require assistance with daily living functions, including meal preparation, bathing, laundry and medication reminders. Live-in aides also provide transportation assistance for medical appointments, recreational activities and shopping trips.
Persons may qualify as having 24-hour live-in care needs when their documented medical requirements involve the performance of certain tasks so frequently that an aide who sleeps through the night cannot fulfill them, including turning and positioning at bedtime.
Traditional 24-hour care entails several caregivers alternating shifts (typically 8 hours at a time) so someone is always awake to assist your loved one. Families often prefer this form of support because it provides consistent caregivers and facilitates clearer communication between ourselves and you – it is also less expensive than 24-hour nursing home or assisted living facility care.
What is a live-in aide’s role?
Live-in aides are individuals who live in the same house with the disabled person they provide care for, though they typically sleep separately from them. Although, aides may share meals and household duties. While their services are often paid for, this should not count towards family income.
Landlords should verify the need for a live-in aide by reviewing income verification documents to confirm both parties are financially independent.
Owners should view tenant requests that their spouse be an assistive live-in aide as reasonable accommodations, according to the Court’s findings in FHEO vs FHCMA case law addressing family members serving as live-in aides. FHEO had concluded that married couples are automatically excluded from acting as live-in aides under HUD regulation and handbook definitions of live-in aide.