Important Notes on Scheduling
Most live-in caregivers will need some time off each week/month for respite to reduce the chances of burnout. Their time off is their time to leave the house and have no duties or responsibilities, including, not being on-call.
Daily work schedule: Many families schedule their live-in to be available to assist intermittently within the home for 12-16 hours per day. Those hours comprise a combo of work/paid downtime, unpaid off time, and an 8-hour sleep shift.
Paid downtime: The caregiver may not be physically working and may be allowed to do personal tasks unrelated to the job, but they are still "on-call" and available to assist whenever needed by the care recipient. Under federal labor law, this time is considered work time and must be paid time.
Unpaid time off: The caregiver can come and go without permission and leave their phone off while they are gone. They are not "on-call" or available to assist whenever needed. Under federal labor law, this time can be unpaid time off.
8-hour sleep shift: Under certain circumstances, families can require that the live-in be "on-call" overnight and not have to pay them for those on-call hours, as long as the live-in can sleep in a private bedroom and gets a certain amount of undisturbed sleep each night. If they are called to work during their sleep shift, they need to be paid for their time. For example, 20 minutes to help someone to/from the commode. Note: CA/NY residents have additional rules to follow.
With that in mind, look over the sample schedules below and see which is closest to your ideal schedule.