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Have you hired outside help?
My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013. And he’s still managing to do most things on his own. But sometimes I wonder about the future, and finding ways to give him the best possible care. Have you hired outside help? If so, what kinds of tasks does your helper assist you with? And do you have any tips for those of us who are curious about hiring help?
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4 Replies
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My wife was prone to falls. Once I was away for 5 hours playing senior softball and found her when I returned after she had fallen off a step. So I immediately hired a care giver to watch her while I was gone. The categiver was excellent, did a number of household chores while making sure was safe.
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I reluctantly gave up driving over a year ago, and was completely dependent on my husband to drive me to doctors, meetings, errands, etc. There was a lot of driving! To give my husband some respite, I hired a licensed home health aide two afternoons a week to drive me around and do things around the house that I am no longer able to do for myself. I really lucked out when I found her! She is a delightful person — I enjoy spending time with her. A total win-win for the three of us.
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‘Comfort care’ service was a hit and miss experience for me. One worker was quite motivated, the other willing, but surprisingly inept, e.g. after asking me many times if she could get lunch for me, could not boil an egg. Both were wonderful human beings, trustworthy, I felt.
I believe I will use this service for episodic shopping help. Both of my workers were excellent drivers, my car or their cars (extra cost for mileage.)
Based on this experience and that of my aged male friend, I have concluded that companion care workers are oriented towards social interaction (a good thing) but do not fill my needs for help around the apartment.
This level of care does not allow for any hands-on-service, even the simplest like combing hair.
During the worst of covid, I would not have a worker in my home who was not fully immunized. The agency did not mandate immunization.
Best of luck in your search for care. -
I had hired a lady for my mom through a friend’s personal recommendation. I didn’t want to go through an agency as they are really expensive and you really don’t know what you are getting. She was the same age as my mom so they connected well. It was great to have someone to keep her company, be there for help when she fell and do some light chores and cooking. She unfortunately was only w/us for like 3 months before she had to quit to help her sister. I’ve been looking for someone else for a month now. I feel like outside help is great!
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