Need a live in caregiver.....

[DizBelle]

MIL is looking for a live in caregiver to help her with her mother (who is 96) and she is having some challenges finding someone.

DH has tried care.com to see if he can find someone but it isn't working out very well. Does anyone know of any other resources for finding a live in caregiver? This is in Nashville.

 

[NotUrsula]

Churches. Your best bet for a live-in is a somewhat younger widow on a fixed income; church staff tend to know who those people are, and if they don't, there is often a church bulletin you can put a notice into to find one.
If you are a member of a congregation, call your pastor, or your MIL's pastor; they may well be aware of a parishioner who could use the job and the place to live. If you are not a church member it really doesn't matter, they are normally happy to be able to give that kind of opportunity to one of their flock.

FWIW, my mother worked as a live-in for a few years after my father died, until her own health declined. She was 60 when she was widowed.

 

[mjkacmom]

Word of mouth? We pay over $1000 a week for 6 days/nights for my dads caregiver. That's also how we found my grandmother's.

 

[princesspumpkin]

Possibly look at colleges with nursing programs. A student may need housing and the experience would be good for them!

 

[King Schultz]

No advice; I just want to wish you luck.


Dealing with issues involving elderly parents can be very stressful and emotionally taxing. All you can do is the best you can.

 

[2Kds2K9]

Having gone through this recently with my Dad, the best advice I can offer at this point is to make sure you securely lock up any and all valuables. No matter if you hire a lay person, or even a service that is licensed and bonded. My Dad had 24/7 care through a professional service and we have since discovered that about $80k in valuables are missing. He even had a lock on his office door where things were stored. Get valuables out of the house and into a safety deposit box.

Sorry you are going through this. Mi know it is difficult.

 

[Darcy03231]

Is she looking for nursing care? Or just someone to help with light housework/meals/errands?

We looked into this for my MIL recently who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Due to her illness and the progressive nature of it, she needed nursing care. We contacted several places who provide in-home nursing care, but no one did live-in. They would provide 24/hr care in shifts. It was astronomically expensive (between $7k and $10k) a month. We ended up placing her in an assisted living facility in Franklin, TN (Belvedere). They were wonderful and she received excellent care until she passed.

If you just need someone to help with light housework/meals/errands, you could probably just place an ad or check with a staffing service. As a PP pointed out you could also check with a local college or senior center.

If you decide to hire independently, keep in mind you'll need to set hours/time off, keep track of payroll, etc. I would also check with your insurance agent to make sure that you have sufficient liability insurance and/or workers' compensation insurance should someone get hurt caring for her.

Good luck!

 

[Sadie22]

The local Office on Aging, which may be through the local Health Department, would be a great resource. They would determine what services could be offered through Medicare or other government programs and be able to provide lists of local agencies. Hospice care in the home might be a possibility if she qualifies.

 

[powellrj]

Unless you have unlimited funds, I am not sure you will find anyone. We used a home health care service for my mom and it was still expensive. We didn't use them for long because it just became more than they could handle and we had to put her in a locked dementia home.

The days of finding a college student or a widow to stay with people are pretty much gone. We did it for my grandmother 40 years ago, but when I was looking for my mom there wasn't anyone like that.

 

[ahutton]

Visiting Angels has locations in many cities but as others have said, it is very expensive.

 

[Southernmiss]

You've received some good replies.

My uncle found my 96 year old's caregiver through his own business deal with her-- he sold her a car.

She was a CNA in a nursing home with many years experience. Her relief is a nurse who worked in the same nursing home.

It's tough and if we had to do it again for another relative, I don't know that we could find someone. And as to the contact a church suggestion, that could be hit or miss.

I work for a church and would have no one to recommend to a family facing a similar situation. (I was asked about a month ago.) I know of 2 ladies who did this on a part-time basis, but once their patient went to a nursing home, they did not seek other sitting jobs. Very taxing.

 

[tvguy]

Have you tried this site? If you Google "Nashville Caregivers", there are pages and pages of providers listed.
https://www.homewatchcaregivers.com/metro-nashville/nashville?gclid=CMDX4uzD3c0CFZSCfgod5lkGkA

 

[MickeySP]

Has she tried her senior services through town or local hospital geriatric care section?

I found great home care & resources through both.

 

[low-key]

if Family cant do it, ask Friends if they know someone who is outstanding. I had two former friends who did this years ago and both were all about stealing the old persons drugs. So watch it they are out there

 

[Sabeking]

Not sure if you have one in your area but we had Home Instead and they were outstanding! They have 24 hour care to be split between a few caregivers.