I just had that thought. A live-in young person very much like the ones you hire for child-care, only this one would be prepared for senior care. He/she would have some days and nights off, just like the childcare au pairs, but would be live-in and relatively affordable.
Apparently such an agency exists in Ireland, but in the U.S. the idea runs into immigration problems or something. Not sure what.
Emily, you need to check into an exchange student. That would be so funny, we had one from Germany for a year. I thought we were helping some poor kid, to experience America. It is really a scam, the agency gets paid big bucks for placing a kid in your care, you get zippo and the families that can afford the cost of sending their kid are not poor but upper middle class. I can just imagine what would happen if the kid came to America to find out that they were an au pair for the elderly. I am thinking about the boy that we had, he was so spoiled and to see him given some task like that, would be a hoot.
I understand what you mean. My DH pretty much stays out of troubles..actually he is rather good at that. But for him, if I am not home now at lunch time he won't get anything on his own...yesterday while I was doing some yard work, he came out to ask " what's for lunch?" and I said just look in the fridge..you can make a sandwich... but he just stood there and looked a little hurt cuz I think he heard me mutter something under my breath something like.." you aren't helpless". But then it came to me that maybe he really isn't sure how to make this sandwich now..If he sees a muffin he will cut it but maybe the putting something together is a little confusing. I can't tell now when I am spoiling him or when he really has a new hiccup for me to work with. Oh and the hair cut..we are into week 3 now...yes I want a hair cut...then today..no I don't want to go out..So today I need to run a few errands and one is to go to the barber shop to talk to Manny to see if he will start making house calls for me...DH won't like this but...good heavens he looks like a wild man now and I don't want him to go out looking like I don't take care of him.