Do I Have to Use My Own Money to Care for My Loved One?

Caregiving can be a very difficult job. Long hours, sometimes thankless family members, and general financial and physical stress can lead to burnout very quickly. So the question we want to answer today is: “Do I really need to use my own money to care for my loved one?”

The answer is that “it depends.” If the elder receives some form of assistance from the government, you may not have to use your own money. However, even if they do, you may need to use some here or there. In the case of transferring your loved one to a facility, you are not required to use your own money to provide care for your loved one. 

We talked before about nursing homes and being the responsible party, and the thing of it is that if you do not sign your own name to the bottom of the nursing home agreement, you cannot be held financially responsible for payment of bills and overall care of your loved one. In that instance, it is important, that your loved one sign his or her own name, if possible. If not, then you will be held financially responsible for paying bills and the like.

However, if they are unable to sign their own name, for whatever reason, you may be able to sign their name for them in certain circumstances. As always, consult with an elder law professional if this is a situation you may find yourself in.If you don’t sign their name, you will be held responsible by the nursing home for payment, and then required to use your own funds to do it. To negate this, if you sign your own name, be sure to state in writing on the document that you are not financially responsible for your loved one. That way, you can try to protect yourself from being billed for care that you may not be able to pay for. Please reach out to an elder law professional if you need more specific advice for this type of scenario.