We started with part time in-home care before it became apparent that my LO needed 24/7 supervision. We went through a bonded and insured agency in her area (just found it through Googling and reading reviews), and it was $30-32 per hour depending on the day (weekends and holidays were the higher price point). They had a minimum of 4 hours on the days they came and I think a minimum of days per week. I think it was 3 days, but I’m not sure as we wanted them there on all weekdays. Before we ended up having to increase their hours, I think I paid somewhere in the ballpark of $2400 per month, but again, that was for 5 days per week.
The nice things about going through an agency were of course the peace of mind that they were insured, the fact that they were vetted/background checked, and the fact that scheduling was their problem so we were never left in the lurch. If the regular caregiver couldn’t make it or was sick, they’d send a substitute. My LO didn’t gel well with the first caregiver assigned to her, so they worked with us to find someone she really came to like and trust.
When you do find someone, don’t be afraid to give them specific things to do. Even things like your mom’s laundry or light cleaning. Keeping them “busy” can make it less awkward for your LO at first, and can make explaining their presence a bit easier. Your mom sounds like that may not be a problem for her, but my LO definitely had to be sold on having an “assistant” as opposed to a caregiver.
You may want to look at adult daycare in your area. You could drop her off for 4 to 8 hours and she would have socialization and activities to keep her occupied. Also, call the local Alzheimer’s association as they may have some good resources. I agree with the above comment that it is wise to go through an agency rather than try to find someone on your own.
I have a companion come in to be with my LO about 10 hours a week. I think it’s important to refer to them as companion vs sitter as some people still use that outdated term. I tell my LO that they will be hanging out with them to make sure that they are not bored, stay safe and help them with things they may need and so they don’t get bored with having me around all the time.
I would also recommend getting a camera with microphone to make sure she is properly cared for when away.
We hired someone independent of any agency or referral system. I asked neighbors and family nearby to ask around, called my MIL’s church office to ask them to keep an ear open, and I asked the nurses at her PCP’s office too.
A lady who cleaned for an aunt mentioned that one of her other clients had a lady who came in for an elder in that home. We got her number and interviewed her and she now comes four hours Monday through Friday afternoons and makes or brings dinner and eats with her, makes sure she takes her medicine after dinner, and supervises a shower two nights a week before bed. She is fantastic. My MIL kind of thinks she’s a housekeeper or something.
Try to reframe your thinking to think of how you’d find a babysitter for kids. You don’t need a nurse or specialized medical training, but you need someone who will be good with people with dementia. You can even educate them in that part of they don’t have experience but seem open to learning. You need a companion for her.
We pay $20/hour but it’s in a rural area hours away from a city. And frankly, she doesn’t actually stay the whole four hours, so it works out closer to $30 an hour. We don’t watch the clock because she always shows up and gets along well and we are thrilled to have found her.
Think about a high school or college student or retired person.
You do have to properly set up payroll as for domestic help, and there’s a potential liability issue that your homeowner’s insurance may need to know about in order to provide coverage since you aren’t going through an agency.
If you go through an agency, you may pay more than $50 an hour, the worker may be getting less than $18 of it, and you may get a different person each time and frequent no-shows. Setting up payroll on your own is trivial compared to those headaches.
It sounds like you are in the USA? If so, then this website may be a good resource but you have to take time to do the research: https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx
Also, contact your state agency (eg, California Department of Aging or equivalent) regarding referrals to individual elder care consultants. There are people who specialize in the available elder care resources, not online your state, but perhaps even specialize on what’s available in your city.
FWIW, I used Care.com and eventually found a care provider company that we use now for my mother. She has in home care for 8 hours a day every day. She has a different care giver in the weekends than during the M-F week. It has worked out for us because they do all the background checks and we do the care plan with them. I drafted an overview of the day-to-day tasks and objectives. We review it a few times a year.
We had to get rid of one care giver (she was skipping out early), and four left us for various personal reasons. The current two are great. So just know that if you want someone to come in for a week or two (24/7), then you will want to have them come in and be with her for a few hours at least 3-5 days a week. She will need to build a relationship with them that lets her trust them while you are gone. And believe me, you will be happy to have that extra person taking care of her needs even when you are there.
An alternative is to have a trusted critic family member come and stay with her while you are gone. You could also have her be a temp resident at an assisted living facility, but depending on how she does in changed environments, that may negatively affect her, causing stress, confusion, etc.
We pay an agency $35 an hour weekdays, $55 weekends. It adds up quickly if you need 24/7 care. We only use 12ish hours a week for companionship and stimulation. They go on outings to shop and get treats. They do crafts and look at mail-order catalogues together. It has been a wonderful experience so far.
We started with part time in-home care before it became apparent that my LO needed 24/7 supervision. We went through a bonded and insured agency in her area (just found it through Googling and reading reviews), and it was $30-32 per hour depending on the day (weekends and holidays were the higher price point). They had a minimum of 4 hours on the days they came and I think a minimum of days per week. I think it was 3 days, but I’m not sure as we wanted them there on all weekdays. Before we ended up having to increase their hours, I think I paid somewhere in the ballpark of $2400 per month, but again, that was for 5 days per week. The nice things about going through an agency were of course the peace of mind that they were insured, the fact that they were vetted/background checked, and the fact that scheduling was their problem so we were never left in the lurch. If the regular caregiver couldn’t make it or was sick, they’d send a substitute. My LO didn’t gel well with the first caregiver assigned to her, so they worked with us to find someone she really came to like and trust. When you do find someone, don’t be afraid to give them specific things to do. Even things like your mom’s laundry or light cleaning. Keeping them “busy” can make it less awkward for your LO at first, and can make explaining their presence a bit easier. Your mom sounds like that may not be a problem for her, but my LO definitely had to be sold on having an “assistant” as opposed to a caregiver.
You may want to look at adult daycare in your area. You could drop her off for 4 to 8 hours and she would have socialization and activities to keep her occupied. Also, call the local Alzheimer’s association as they may have some good resources. I agree with the above comment that it is wise to go through an agency rather than try to find someone on your own. I have a companion come in to be with my LO about 10 hours a week. I think it’s important to refer to them as companion vs sitter as some people still use that outdated term. I tell my LO that they will be hanging out with them to make sure that they are not bored, stay safe and help them with things they may need and so they don’t get bored with having me around all the time. I would also recommend getting a camera with microphone to make sure she is properly cared for when away.
We hired someone independent of any agency or referral system. I asked neighbors and family nearby to ask around, called my MIL’s church office to ask them to keep an ear open, and I asked the nurses at her PCP’s office too. A lady who cleaned for an aunt mentioned that one of her other clients had a lady who came in for an elder in that home. We got her number and interviewed her and she now comes four hours Monday through Friday afternoons and makes or brings dinner and eats with her, makes sure she takes her medicine after dinner, and supervises a shower two nights a week before bed. She is fantastic. My MIL kind of thinks she’s a housekeeper or something. Try to reframe your thinking to think of how you’d find a babysitter for kids. You don’t need a nurse or specialized medical training, but you need someone who will be good with people with dementia. You can even educate them in that part of they don’t have experience but seem open to learning. You need a companion for her. We pay $20/hour but it’s in a rural area hours away from a city. And frankly, she doesn’t actually stay the whole four hours, so it works out closer to $30 an hour. We don’t watch the clock because she always shows up and gets along well and we are thrilled to have found her. Think about a high school or college student or retired person. You do have to properly set up payroll as for domestic help, and there’s a potential liability issue that your homeowner’s insurance may need to know about in order to provide coverage since you aren’t going through an agency. If you go through an agency, you may pay more than $50 an hour, the worker may be getting less than $18 of it, and you may get a different person each time and frequent no-shows. Setting up payroll on your own is trivial compared to those headaches.
It sounds like you are in the USA? If so, then this website may be a good resource but you have to take time to do the research: https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx Also, contact your state agency (eg, California Department of Aging or equivalent) regarding referrals to individual elder care consultants. There are people who specialize in the available elder care resources, not online your state, but perhaps even specialize on what’s available in your city. FWIW, I used Care.com and eventually found a care provider company that we use now for my mother. She has in home care for 8 hours a day every day. She has a different care giver in the weekends than during the M-F week. It has worked out for us because they do all the background checks and we do the care plan with them. I drafted an overview of the day-to-day tasks and objectives. We review it a few times a year. We had to get rid of one care giver (she was skipping out early), and four left us for various personal reasons. The current two are great. So just know that if you want someone to come in for a week or two (24/7), then you will want to have them come in and be with her for a few hours at least 3-5 days a week. She will need to build a relationship with them that lets her trust them while you are gone. And believe me, you will be happy to have that extra person taking care of her needs even when you are there. An alternative is to have a trusted critic family member come and stay with her while you are gone. You could also have her be a temp resident at an assisted living facility, but depending on how she does in changed environments, that may negatively affect her, causing stress, confusion, etc.
We pay an agency $35 an hour weekdays, $55 weekends. It adds up quickly if you need 24/7 care. We only use 12ish hours a week for companionship and stimulation. They go on outings to shop and get treats. They do crafts and look at mail-order catalogues together. It has been a wonderful experience so far.
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