My 85-year old spouse has Alzheimer’s disease, and we have a caregiver who spends 5 hours a day 5 days a week bathing, dressing, feeding, and otherwise attending to her. I pay $3,300 a month for this service. Is it tax deductible?

While Medicare does not cover the cost of long-term care services, they may qualify as a deductible medical expense. Since your spouse is chronically ill and requires personal care services, the cost is deductible provided they are pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner. As children in school are told: Get a doctor’s note.