Just wanted to toss this out for those on the list who might have relatives caring for a loved one or spouse.
My father in-law is 85 years old and suffers from senile dementia, among other things. None of these are debilitating enough for him to require placement in a care facility or to allow him to qualify for home care. That means my mother in-law is essentially a full time caregiver. She's been doing this for a number of years, but as he approaches the end of his life it's become more and more of her existence. As one might expect, this takes a real toll on her, as she is still in good health and fully capable of getting out and socializing, going to church, etc. Father in-law has become a real ball and chain for her (and I mean that in the most caring way possible.) Since he doesn't qualify for any kind of home care, I was trying to find some alternatives for respite care - someone who could come in and just provide companionship and general care for Father in-law so Mother in-law could get out and do some things on her own, like get her hair done or visit some friends. I found a really great service called "Visiting Angels". It's a national franchise that has local services for respite care on an hourly basis. The caregivers are all CNAs at minimum and thoroughly vetted. There is no obligation as far as a contract, and you have the ability to specify in advance the type of caregiver you want. If they don't seem to be a good "fit" you can have another. We have an "Angel" come in once a week for three hours. Mother in-law gets out and can pretty much do as she pleases during that time. The cost is actually pretty reasonable (I think) with ours being a little under $20/hour. They have a sliding scale that decreases the hourly rate as you increase the hours. This has done so much to improve her self esteem and general well being. It gives her something to look forward to every week and a chance to get out and interact with others. It is the best $60/week I have ever spent (so far.) Just thought I would put this out there as I know some of you have similar situations. Dan _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
