I have a question and I am hoping someone can give me some direction...

[tweetsLPN]

I was with a home care company for 3 years and was recently let go as they were bought out by a corp and I was an atwill employee...anyway I had taken care of a young 28 year old quad since his injury and have become close to him and his family. Over the 3 years he and I had talked about traveling as he had been in the military and was home on leave when he was hurt. I have done some private duty for him when his CG had emergency surgery....he has ask me to travel with him and a noncaregiver friend out of town ( with the blessing of his entire family) and I have agreeded but now I have to figure out what to charge...he and I are going to sit down and draw up a contract but I am stumped as what to charge for my "working time". He is a low functioning quad who requires daily am and hs care along with a bowel program and s/p cath care.

any comments would be appreciated

[caliotter3]

I would charge him minimally what your salary would have been if you were working an 8 hour agency shift for him. It is understood that your actual hours at his disposal will be longer than 8 or 12 hours but these are considered "relaxed" duty hours. Make certain that he understands that you will have a minimum of 8 uninterrupted (except for emergency) personal time hours per day for sleep and rest. He is also responsible for all of your travel costs. For example, if he requires you to attend an expensive restaurant with him, he has to pay for this. Otherwise, you would pay for your own food like you would in a normal situation. In a sleepover situation I was paid a reduced set rate for the number of days that I was at the client's home. In another situation, the patient offered me $2 an hour more than my agency pay. In another situation, I was going to be traveling with the patient but still in the employ of my agency. My manager told me that I would be paid for one 8 hour shift per day but I would still be required to respond to my client's needs after my 8 hours. You're sort of stuck. Usually people who do this are not hard to work for and don't take advantage of their caregivers. Another consideration: Ask your patient what they plan regarding necessary deductions for taxes, social security, etc. Are you going to be covered by their insurance? These are issues that must be addressed when you are working privately for your clients.