Family member is caregiver

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Updated: November 16, 2011 8:40AM

Dear Annie: I am one of three sisters. Our mother is 93 years old and has Alzheimer’s. For the past four years, my 44-year-old son has been her full-time caregiver. He shops, cooks, does her laundry, makes sure she takes her medications and is up half the night helping her use the bathroom. He listens to her complaints on a regular basis. He truly loves his grandma.

My older sister is in charge of Mom’s money. A year ago, I suggested that my son be paid for his caregiving services, and she decided he was worth $250 a month. Because my son takes care of his grandmother, he cannot work full time elsewhere. This is his primary occupation. He has put his life on hold because he doesn’t want his grandmother to go into a nursing home.

I don’t live close, but I see my mother every three weeks and stay with her overnight. Neither of my sisters will spend the night, so they don’t get the whole picture in terms of what my son has to deal with. I told my sister he needs a raise, and she said, reluctantly, that she’d give him $500 a month. However, doing so has caused friction between us, and now I am not speaking to either of them. I’ll reconsider when they offer to spend a couple of nights there.

I know my son is saving Mom a lot of money because no one else in our family would do what he does. His care is worth a million dollars to me, yet he gets no praise from either of my sisters. Am I wrong to resent them?

In the Middle

Dear Middle: Your son deserves both praise and remuneration for his caregiving. However, holding grudges and being resentful solves nothing. Make a few calls and find out how much a hired caregiver would cost in Mom’s area. Present this information to your sisters so they have a better understanding of the value of the job. They may be unwilling or unable to pay your son what he’s worth, and your son may not insist on it. But tell them they can make it up to him by being more appreciative of his contributions.

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