Granny Cam Helps the Caregiver Gets a Good Restful Sleep

Since Gladys came to live with me, I haven’t been resting very well.  I was up and down several time a night from the third floor to the first floor to check on Gladys.  Running up and down those steps was wearing me out and usually after the run between 3 and 4 o’clock, I couldn’t go back to sleep.  Sometimes we have to work smarter and not harder.

Granny Cam

Last week I decided to install a camera, SVAT WSE103 Wireless Color Mini Pinhole Covert Camera System, in Gladys’ room.  It was fairly inexpensive, wireless and easy to install.  There was one problem – the television in my bedroom is so cheap that it didn’t have the video jack to hook up the system.  I literally purchased the tv from K-Mart’s blue light special – 20 color inch tv, cable ready, $69.00 – too good to pass up.  But I digress.  Anyway, I had an old 13 inch tv in the garage that I was going to sell on Craig’s List but kept forgetting to post it.  It had everything I needed.

According to the instructions “for best transmission, avoid installation where there are thick walls . . . cordless phones and wireless routers.”  I love gadgets, so needless to say, my house is full of all of the “avoids.”  And, I live in a town house with thick walls.  At first I turned the router off at night but then I found that everything still worked fine with the router on.

I positioned the camera so I can see if Gladys is still in bed or in her chair.  The camera doesn’t have sound so I still use the baby monitor in case she calls me.  But the camera saves me trips down those three flights of stairs.  When I get up during the night to go to the bathroom, I turn the tv on and check on Gladys.  Usually she’s fine and I go back to sleep.

The small tv is on my side of the bed in the corner.  I wish I had thought of this nine months ago, it would have saved me a lot of stress and allowed me more rest.  If we lived in a ranch style house or if we were even on the same floor, things would have been easier.  But we’re not so we manage the best we can with what we have.  Sometimes we  need to settle down and give some thought to how we can make life easier.  Work smarter, not harder.

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Sunday Caregiver Search Continues

Well we searched, asked for references and thought we had a Sunday caregiver.  I talked with a caregiver and interviewed her over the phone.  We set an appointment for her to come by the house to meet with us and see where she would take care of Gladys and go over her responsibilities.  I wrote up a Caregivers Agreement that included:  work day and hours, pay days, pay rate, lead time to call for absentees, lead time for me to contact her if I don’t need her, termination conditions and that she was responsible for reporting her salary to the IRS.  Everything was set.

Oops, I forgot to tell her that we have two cats.  It turns out that she is very allergic to cats, so it’s back to the starting blocks.

In a way, I think this worked out for the best because the lady is a member of my church.  I had met her before but don’t really know her.  She was highly recommended by a friend who works for Social Services but when we talked face to face she was just a little too familiar for me.  I want this arrangement to be strictly business.  I’m not looking for someone to be my friend, to hang out with or to talk on the phone.  I’m looking for a business arrangement.

If I end up with someone from my church, it will be someone who can separate a personal relationship from a business relationship.  The search continues, wish me luck.

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