How a match happens

co-op.care is a worker-owned care cooperative. One side is people who need a hand at home — an aging parent, a recovery, a hard stretch. The other is neighbors who can offer something: a few hours, a trade skill, a clinical background, or steady presence. The cooperative matches the two and stands behind the match.

How it works

You tell us one thing — a skill you can offer or a need you have. From there the cooperative does the routing: it finds a fit nearby, handles the introduction, and keeps a record so care is continuous rather than a parade of strangers. Caregivers are employees of the cooperative (W-2), not gig contractors, which is why the same person can keep showing up.

In practice: A daughter two towns over needs someone to drive her father to dialysis three mornings a week. A retired teacher one street over has those mornings free. The cooperative matches them, the teacher is paid a real wage, and the father sees the same face every week.

This page is education, not tax, legal, or medical advice. Whether a specific expense qualifies depends on your situation, your plan, and a clinician’s determination — and the rules change. Talk to a tax advisor and your benefits administrator about your own case.