Ky Caregiver asked this question under a different thread. I have moved it to its own discussion in order to keep things organized. Please answer her under this discussion topic. Thank you. Below is her question:
joang
If you dont mind me asking how did u get the care worker? Home Health?
Check the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - on the left side. Scroll down to Elder Care Locator, and click on that square to start. Also, what type of services are you looking for? If it is directly related to a health issue, you may be able to get Home Health Care through Medicare, but you would need to check with the doctor.
We have a long term care policy which pays for home health aid. In our area they charge $17.00/hr for private pay. I am go nuts the last week. Our Aid wanted off for Christmas eve and Christmas day, On Monday she called in sick and the Agency did not send anyone. I called the Agency and now they have sent a different one each day this week. I might as well not use them. You do not know if you can trust them and then you have to tell them what to do. I think the Agency is very poor in co ordination. This morning a new one shows up early and I did not even know they were sending her. This one today was telling me that she used to work in a local NH and she did not like working in them and wanted to do home health care.
I contacted my Area Agency on Aging. They came to our home and did an assessment. We qualified for a Medicaid Waiver which meant that we didn't have to pay out of pocket but the fee was determined on a sliding scale if we had not qualified for the waiver. I am sure rules vary from state to state but I think most states have an Agency on Aging which would be a good place to start.
I don't know if you are near a city or not, but most areas have agencies known as helping hands, Home Angels, or In Home Health Care. A Hospice organization can also helpyou with referrals to agencies that provide these services. You can also call the administrator in local nursing homes, because they use the services when someone there needs one on one care - Sometime a doctor's office may know of agencies. The advantage with an agency is that USUALLY (not always) they have substitutes who fill in on holidays and during these weeks around holidays. If you have a private aid, she will not be bonded, have had a drug and background check, and you never know what you're getting. Just this month, I've seen many commercials about a company that ???? sounds like" Helping Hands"..??? I didn't pay close attention. They are out there.
IF ALL FAILS: Call "A Place For MOM", .... they are a referral agency with nursing homes,... maybe home health care as well. This company is nationwide and has a 1-800 number.
A Place for Mom made several referrals when I was looking for residential care for my DH and I selected a small private home facility from among their referrals. DH has been there since August and the entire family is very pleased with his care. Of course he professes to hate it there but he's actually done quite well since I moved him.
We have just started a new service in our area of Maine - the Caregiver Navigator. This person works, for a fee, with the caregiver to find the resources needed to care for the loved one. The navigator will also help out if something goes wrong with the service - such as not showing up.
To speak up for the other side, we hired someone privately, at this stage mostly to clean up after my husband, as he can take care of himself except for putting on his socks. In our case it isn't a lot cheaper than hiring someone through an agency, but that is because she is doing all the cleaning. She was actually originally recommended by our realtor when we were looking for someone to help us declutter, but I know our neurologist gives out her name. I've seen people advertised at church as well.
I have contacted two caregiver agencies so far. They basically "baby sit" or do housework for about $20/hr with a 4 hr. minimum. They do not lift or give any medication. You have to show them what to do and of course they want you to have a regular person so you get the same person each time. The first agency I used (and they were highly recommended) sent someone who wanted to befriend us on her own time. This was scary and I told the agency. They were shocked. The next agency came over but we have not used them yet. 4 hrs/day gets a little pricey. I have had Home Health Care come out twice but as my husband is not completely bed ridden, we do not qualify for any type of health care services. We did just become eligible for the Access Transportation service which has wheelchair access and the caregiver goes free ($2 each way locally). It is a shared ride and I don't know when we will use it yet. I have to get some ramps built to get the wheelchair out of the house. Then they meet us at the curb. This is part of the L.A. County group. Most communities have some kind of local transportation. Just remember it is a shared ride so it takes time and you may have to wait. One of my neighbors also volunteered to come over and "sit" with dh so I can get out and do errands. Hope you find someone reliable soon. It gets very frustrating, I know.
I am dealing with a home health aide. She has been here 5 days a week for almost 1 year. I have noticed that she is doing less and less house work and sitting watching TV most of the time. Last Friday she asked me not to put dirty dishes in the sink to rinse them and put them in the dish washer. I am thinking of asking her to find employment . I have not changed she has, and she is just getting too pushy. I do not want to change because my wife likes her. She used to be really good, now she is just ok
moorsb, I think that I would contact the head of the agency that supplied the aide and tell them what's going on. If necessary, change agencies. There are plenty of home health care aides and agencies out there, and that makes for healthy competition. I found "Nurse-Next -Door" to be the best. Your wife will get used to a new aide and may even like her better. Even if she doesn't, you're the one who has to take the responsibility, and so you get to make the decisions.
We went through our local Visiting Nurses Assoc. They were the only ones who would promise that we would have the same aide each time. There is no minimum on the hours they come. The woman we have now is very nice and DH likes her. One day when she had the flu another woman filled in and DH liked her as well. The cost is $20 hr. but if you pay a month in advance the price goes down according to the number of hours you have in one day. I have really been happy with them. They accommodate about any hours I need and a nurse comes and checks on DH every few weeks. As he needs more care theyw ill see that he gets it. They will even bathe him if I would like. (I would but he wouldn't!)
moorsb, definitely contact the agency if you are not comfortable speaking with her directly. DH's LTC policy requires a nurse come in every 6 weeks and do an evaluation of the aide and the client to determine if there are changes in the type of care needed. Perhaps you could speak with the nurse supervisor. The biggest complaint I have with agencies in our area, they will not guarantee that the same aide will substitue when our regular one has time off, in fact they tell me that I will get whoever is available because all the aides (all from other countries) are seeking ft work and if they get an opportunity from any agency to work ft they will do that work and not come here evn though they have committed. This is very frustrating when you need continuity of care and need to know the person's credentials/experience. When they come for one day or 2-4 hours you are basically doing the work because they are unfamiliar with the routine.
We've had problems with our aide periodically - too many telephone calls interfering with his responsibilities, not returning on time from his vacation days, etc. I have spoken with him directly and have been successful so far in working things out.
moorsb--The aide is telling YOU not to put dishes in the sink, to put them in the dishwasher?????????????????????????????? Who is working for whom?????????????? You didn't say if she's from an agency or a private hire, but that is unacceptable. End of story. There have to be other people out there whom your wife would like and who want to actually work. We've had aides for a while now, and I'm learning that some suffer from burnout--apparently, those who have been doing the job for a long time. Maybe that's her problem.
I think she is getting burnt out, and feels she can gat away with stuff. I know that she has migrains and I have told her not to come in on those days. I think she did anyway. I am going to see how Monday goes and I will talk to her about how she seems to not be the same person who started with us. I would like to have the Agency send us 2 people, in case one is sick. I do not like have a new aide come in and you do not trust them. I was thinking of cutting her back to 3 days and ask for another person 2 days a week.
I have a male CNA come 3 hrs every Friday to supervise hb shower and "watch" him. He has worked for a veteran's home and an agency in the past. My daughter met him at her church. He's working out very well; also does handyman tasks if asked. I recommended him to a couple in our support group, and they're very pleased. He was to supervise bathing there, too. Last week the wife got salmonella and phoned him on a Sunday morning asking if he'd take her to the hospital. He did and then stayed about 90 hrs with them. His wife is a CNA also; so they sub for each other as needed.
moorsb, the 2 aides is a good idea. I have a friend in the Boston area who is a Geriatric Care Manager and is responsible for getting aides for her clients. She uses 2 for each client - often 1 aide works M-T, the 2nd works F-Sun. It gives them both time off to avoid burnout and allows for coverage if one is on vacation or sick. Unfortunately I cannot get the same arrangement here in NJ - all the aides want ft work so no one is willing to work pt or if they do, they leave when there's ft work available. Makes coverage very difficult when our aide goes on vacation.
Your in home help sounds like our gardeners..they used to be whizbang good...looked forward and never had to be told what to do..they saw it and did it and now...since DH is not as sharp...they have slacked off and I feel a confrontation coming on soon and like you, I hate the idea..they keep the yard tidy but the things that make a difference I now have to tell them to do..... For this employee to tell you not to put dishes in the sink for her to rinse and then sits and watches TV...let her watch TV somewhere else. If she is not doing what she is being paid to do, even at a minimum maybe you could start to work in another companion for your wife little at a time and then use this one less and less until she is not part of your stresses.