A senior-care agreement should translate the care plan into clear working conditions while protecting the older adult’s dignity and the caregiver’s employment rights. It should be updated when care needs or hours change and reviewed against current provincial rules.
Name the parties and decision-makers
Identify the employer or employers, caregiver, person receiving care, work location, start date, and expected duration. Name the primary family contact and any legally authorized substitute decision-maker relevant to the role.
Clarify who may change the schedule or duties. A caregiver should not have to follow contradictory instructions from several relatives.
Define the care scope
List companionship, meals, housekeeping, transportation, personal care, mobility assistance, documentation, and any health-related support separately. State tasks that are outside the role or require additional training, consent, or professional direction.
Attach a care plan that can be updated without rewriting every employment term. The agreement should never authorize a worker to perform regulated clinical tasks beyond their qualifications and permitted scope.
Set hours and coverage
Record regular shifts, breaks, overnight expectations, on-call time, handover, schedule changes, and backup arrangements. Explain what happens when the family cancels, the older adult is hospitalized, or another relative temporarily provides care.
Document pay and expenses
Specify gross pay, pay frequency, overtime, payroll deductions, public holidays, vacation, sick time, and review dates. Cover mileage, parking, groceries, activity costs, and reimbursement procedures.
Employment status depends on the actual relationship. Consult current Canada Revenue Agency and provincial guidance instead of relying only on a contract label.
Create safeguards for money and property
If the caregiver shops, define spending limits, approved payment methods, receipts, and reconciliation. Avoid routine access to bank accounts, PINs, online banking, or legal documents. Address gifts and borrowing explicitly so kindness does not create confusion or risk.
List keys, passes, devices, and equipment issued and how they will be returned.
Protect privacy and consent
Explain confidentiality, family communication, record storage, photography, social media, and monitoring devices in the home. The older adult’s information should be shared only with authorized people for care purposes.
Include expectations for asking consent before personal care and supporting choices within the safety and legal framework.
Define reporting and emergencies
State what is documented each shift and which events require an immediate call: a fall, injury, sudden change, missing person, medication concern, or emergency-service contact. Include incident-reporting steps without expecting the caregiver to diagnose.
Review and end the arrangement responsibly
Schedule reviews after the first week, first month, and whenever care needs change. Include lawful notice, final pay, transfer of care information, return of property, and confidentiality after employment. Contract terms cannot waive statutory minimums.
Both sides should receive a signed copy and know where current care instructions are kept. Follow the agreement with a thorough first-day caregiver orientation.