She's retired and doesn't need the money. She wants him to live with her and says how much it would cost if he was in an assisted living facility. He is very healthy and active and needs no assistance with daily activities but has increasing dementia. The siblings are split on whether she should be paid to let Dad live her.
At the very least, your sister is giving up her privacy. If your dad can no longer live alone, he needs some level of supervision, housekeeping and board. Utilities will increase and your sister will be faced with living with someone who wants the house kept warmer than she likes.
Dad's care needs will increase.
Set up a caregiving contract with a lawyer, have taxes taken out and make this all legal so that Medicaid, if needed, doesn't see it as gifting.
This should be an agreement between dad and your sister. Not sure why the other siblings think they should have anything to say about it.
Just to note, no deal saying "you'll get your inheritance when dad dies or dad will leave you the house. Unless the family has generational wealth, there will be nothing left after elder is in a facility at the end, paid for my Medicaid.
When my FIL’s dementia was mild to moderate, it still required cooking, cleaning, handling his bills, doctor appointments, medication, and constant supervision. Now that it’s severe it is a lot more work, supervision, and stress.
If you have never gone through it, you may not realize how much it takes. Read through this board a bit and what people are dealing with, not only physically but emotionally.
Do any of the other siblings want to take care of him without compensation? Have they stepped up?
Actually all the siblings should be grateful to her for wanting to do this.
As Geatton says in her reply:
non-professional, inexperienced caregivers never understand the full scope (and impact) of what they are signing up for (see topic: Burnout on this forum). It often takes a huge toll on them emotionally, mentally, financially and socially (and unfortunately familialy).
I made the decision to take on both my parents, and what Geatton has said is exactly what I am experiencing now.
I wish I had known about his forum before agreeing to take in my parents.
I love them dearly, but OMG.
If you have any love for her, please send her to this forum. It might save her from losing the life as she knows it.
NO amount of compensation will be enough.
Dad should be paying room and board. There should be a rental or care giver contract drawn up and your sister should have POA over health and finances if he lives with her.
Increasing dementia means at some point sooner thna later Dad will take over your sister's life. She will not be able to leave him alone.
Bringing an adult into your household inevitably increases costs: food, obviously, but also utilities, wear and tear, toiletries and laundry; as well as fringe extras such as different t.v. channels - they may look like negligible amounts individually but when you add them up...
Bringing an elder who is developing dementia into your household will also add significant new costs - triple that laundry bill, for a start, then factor in continence care, equipment and adaptations, caregiving and domestic services; and in a state with cold winters and hot summers, you're also going to spend a heck of a lot more on heating and air conditioning.
The difference between your sister's baseline budget and what the household budget will become when your father is part of the household should certainly be borne by your father. That's what it costs to keep him.
Then there is the matter of what her personal commitment to this project is worth, and that's where it gets tricky. Okay, she's retired, so she's not directly losing income from employment; but those are years of her life she will be giving up to his care. How do you recognise their value? Of *course* money doesn't cover it - "a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing" - but it's a start. I think the siblings will find that it pays to be generous.
I give her 6 months before she's ready to put him in a home where he belongs.