Paid to care for their own: a report on a community care program that permits relatives to be hired as caregivers.

The feasibility of a state policy to permit home care agencies to hire kin as caregivers was explored by examining existing data on a state program that allowed relatives to be hired. Of 444 clients, 22% had kin as paid caregivers. Co-residence and kinship were associated with higher disability levels and a higher level of eligibility for services as determined by a functional assessment tool used by the state to determine care plans. The limited number of clients with paid caregivers who were kin suggests that there may be a natural limit to the demand for such an option.