Contract work or permanent, which would you take? after 17 years as a home health aide

I got a contract offer for 17 months as a home health aide and I am unsure whether to accept. The contract could extend. How did you handle benefits?

I took a contract and it converted after four months. The time also kept my skills current.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.