By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Lady was a great challenge: dementia, sleepless, sarcastic, stubborn. Family knows and appreciates the sacrifice I did for my lady: housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, dressing and feeding lady, taking her to the doctor, running her house, and even fixing the desktop computer or the router's configuration, installing new house phones, etc.
For my first Christmas, I was only given a bottle of wine (I don't even drink!). No monetary gift. For the second Christmas, a pair of knitted gloves (which are useless in freezing winters). Still no monetary gift. I worked on two Thanksgiving Day. No double pay. Sad. No paid annual three-day leave as mandated by the federal law. Sadder. No bonus. Saddest.
What I thought was interesting, it was the male caregiver who hand wrote a nice thank you note, the others didn't.
Then when Dad moved to senior living and brought along his two regular caregivers [one for weekdays, one for weekend] who worked mornings and gave Dad his breakfast and lunch, plus keep him company. Dad had passed away just prior to the next Christmas. Since Dad had the funds, I gave them $300 check and $500 check for Christmas since they both had been with him for over a year, and the women were outstanding. It had given Dad a routine to wake up and see their smiling faces daily. They really deserved so much more !!
In the case of the “newbies” the OP is asking about that just began in November, I would give them $50. That way they may feel like as an employer you will be willing in the future to provide a nice “bonus” to them if they continue providing good care & will be enough in their thinking that the employer is not a cheapskate. $20 sounds a bit low to me.
If you get a nice gift, do you still charge them time and a half if you work on Christmas?
*chuckles* I'd be overjoyed with a new car.
But, seriously .. respect. How often do you thank them and recognize them for their efforts and contributions? Unless you happen to have lots of cash to distribute, recognition and verbal gratitude are seriously underrated (btw .. this is too often true in ANY field or toward most employees). If the caregivers are good at what they do, I hope you'll embrace them as part of the team of people keeping your loved one safe and healthy. Otherwise ..
A gift card .. if you happen to know their favorite place to shop, then get it there, otherwise a universal gift card (like a visa gift card) is nicely generous.
Even though I am giving a paid holiday, I want to give them a bonus. Since they have both not been with us for very along, based on what people have said here, I think I will do a day's salary, which would be $36 and $30 respectively. Next year, if they are both still with us, I will consider a week's salary -- which would be $180 and $150 respectively. They are both independent people and not through an agency. I certainly appreciate them both.
Again, thanks for your comments
I wonder why the world considers our line of work less worthy of holiday pay than any other? Our arrangement is: we work our normal schedule, regardless of holidays (though we often trade days to give each other personal family connections, etc), and are paid an extra day that week. Think about it: normal employees get to have the day off, paid, right?
Also, consider this: on that holiday, the caregiver is likely to work harder relieving the family of having to care for their loved one while they're all celebrating, plus there's almost always extra work to prepare him/her to BE with the family.
Just my 2-cents worth.