One of the most satisfying and invigorating aspects of hosting and producing for KPBS TV’s newsmagazine, “Full Focus“, is the joy of the unexpected. That just happened. I had read an article in the Wall Street Journal called “Who Will Mind Mom? Check Her Contract.” It’s about families setting up caregiver contracts between adult children or other relatives and the elderly parent or aunt, uncle, grandparent to provide care for money. What a concept! Does the arrangement indicate that love isn’t enough? Actually, the money reward can have all kinds of benefits when it comes to reducing the size of a parent’s estate, according to the article.
So, thinking this might be a good segment for “Full Focus,” yesterday I checked in with our County Department of Aging and Independent Services. This was news to the professional I know at the agency. She had not heard of this arrangement. She got excited. She immediately spoke with her colleagues in the caregiver coalition. Today she told me they are going to pursue the idea and link with the groups listed in the article that could give them information on caregiving contracts and related issues.
That was my good deed for the day.