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I've been staying with my Mom, but need (and want) to get some time away.


She does not need overnight care yet. Just 1st thing in am around 830a and then put to bed 730pm.

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I am not sure what you are actually asking ' best way to schedule' - you mean find someone / a caregiver?

Options:
* Call an agency
* Call an independent caregiver.
* Network with friends, church, etc. Post ad at college (nursing, geriatric dept).

- Get and CHECK references, get copy of car insurance (if giving rides). Get copy of DL.
- Best to get a criminal check (fingerprinting). I had to do that 2-3 times over the years.

* Consider how important English as a first language is.
* Create a list of duties - so it is in writing and can be reviewed as needed.
* Create a contract listing what job duties are and hourly wage.
* Ask how they would handle an emergency situation. Give an example and see how they respond.

Creat a form so you have a record of what people say and you can compare.
You may interview several people initially and/or some 'come and go' - you want to have the same questions available.

Gena / Touch Matters
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***** to clarify ****
I have a caregiver ready to start. I don't know what hours to schedule for the best coverage to allow me a break.
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I think what you are looking for is how to schedule the hours you have the caregiver? There are a number of factors to consider.

1. When do YOU need the break in the day? Are you wanting to be out and about early in the day? Go to lunch with friends? Go out to a matinee movie?

2. When is SHE most active? Is she calm in the mornings and you can take care of her and do things you need to do around the house and you need a break later in the day or vice versa?

3. You don't mention WHY you are taking care of her - if she has dementia or ALZ, when it gets later in the day - does she experience sundowners? If so - consider the issues around this? Is the caregiver equipped to handle her behaviors when this occurs? If not, you would want to have her there earlier in the day so that you are home when this occurs.

4. Is the caregiver willing to split shifts? I am assuming that when you say 30 hours a week that you mean weekdays only. So that would equate to 6 hours a day. Would it be beneficial to have her come say 8:30 - 11:30 to get her started in the morning and then say 5pm - 8pm to help her with her dinner, bath and into bed at night? I was going to ask if you could potentially bring in two caregivers but since you have already hired her, you would of course have to work within the hours she is willing to work - so the schedule also depends completely on what hours she is available.

A lot of this depends on when your mother's needs are at their highest, when you might feel the most overwhelmed and when the caregiver has actual availability. I'm sure the split shift is probably not very palatable because it is rare that someone wants to work those hours. So it is more likely that you are going to need to have her come in some variation of 8:30 - 2:30 or 1:30 - 7:30 or something in between. And you will have to consider her health needs AND also any doctor's appointments and other commitments.

You will also need to consider how you will handle the caregiver's illnesses and days off. And how you will handle if you or your mother are sick - because quite frankly it isn't fair to expect her to come in to say take care of your mom if your home has been exposed to COVID or has the flu. So you need to take all of that into consideration.
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I'd look at what you want to do and where you want to go and work the schedule to cover that. Since 30 hours isn't likely to cover both morning and evening which one is most difficult for you? Do you want a short break away every day or would you rather have a solid chunk of time, a three day weekend perhaps?
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