Subscribe to RSSMother’s Day Reflections
This year I wrote a post on Mother’s Day Reflections but it is on my other blog – Your Ministry Helper. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t feel like writing two blog posts 
The blog post that I wrote addresses a question that a lot of people ask me: Since Gladys is not a blood relative, why do I take care of her? Most people who know me know that my maternal instincts are lacking (thank God for my husband); I tend to be a little too serious at times; and I am basically a no nonsense person. Doesn’t sound like a caregiver does it?
So if you’re curious about my Mother’s Day Reflections, why don’t you mosey on over to my other blog and take a gander at my thoughts.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Our First Weekend of Respite Care
Respite care is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home. (definition from Wikipedia)
Last weekend we took advantage of respite services offered by our hospice provider. In order to receive the services we had to request a date and set it up in advance. About a month ago, I gave them two sets of dates from which to work. The social worker checked with the three nursing homes they use to see if beds were available for either of the dates provided. One of the nursing homes had a bed available for my second choice, April 30 – May 2. We took it.
Why We Opted For Respite Care
Most people use respite care to rest or to take a trip. We used it to work. Gladys is losing control of her hands; as a result, she drops a lot of food and spills a lot of drinks. We decided it was time to pull up the carpet in her room and replace it with something that was easier to clean – linoleum. We couldn’t do this with Gladys at home because she can’t walk up stairs and we wouldn’t have anyplace to put her while we worked. So we decided on respite care.
The Plan
- Enlist the help of husband, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend
- Get a commitment from said family members to help for the three days
- Friday: 1) Take Gladys to the nursing home by 9:00 AM. 2) Remove all furniture and items from Gladys’ room and storage area. 3) Paint bedroom and storage area.
- Saturday: 1) Installers remove carpet; prep the floor, install linoleum and shoe mold. 2) We paint shoe mold and baseboards. 3) Let floor settle.
- Sunday: 1) Move furniture back in. 2) Assemble closet organizer. 3) convert storage area to a walk in closet. 4) Install new blinds and sheers. 5) Bring Gladys home.
Reflections
Even though we worked during our weekend of respite care, I was surprised at how restful those three days were. Just as the definition says, it was a relief – a relief to not constantly check on Gladys; a relief to sleep through the night without listening for sounds coming from the baby monitor; a relief to get up in the morning and have a leisurely cup of coffee. It was restful in a different kind of way.
I was apprehensive about leaving Gladys with strangers but it was comforting to know that there was a staff of nurses to take care of her. I also thought I would go by each day to check on her but at the end of the day I was too tired from painting and moving furniture.
All in all, my plan for the weekend went well, and a lot was accomplished. Next week I’ll give some feedback on the facility.
We Hired An In-Home Caregiver
In my last post I shared that Gladys’ adult day care had given us notice that they would no longer be able to accommodate her and I began looking for in-home care. We use the services of Hospice Advantage who had assigned us a social worker, Stephanie. When I told her about our situation, she sent me a list of agencies and private sitters. The agencies were just too expensive for us so I started calling the private sitters on the list.
I was very impressed with one of the sitters, Tami. I called her on Wednesday, checked her references on Thursday and interviewed her at my home on Saturday. Fred and I both like her. I also checked with Stephanie and asked how the private sitter list was comprised. It turns out that when Stephanie visits her hospice clients, she observes how the caregivers interact with their patients. If Stephanie is impressed, she adds them to her list.
We Hired Tami
We hired Tami. Today is the end of her third week with us and so far we are very pleased. Before we hired Tami, I called both of our daughters and told them about her background and her references. My oldest daughter Nichole, was concerned that she had only worked for two of the families for 4 months and 8 months. She wanted to know why “she couldn’t keep a job.” I told Nichole that her tenure with those families was short because the patients had died. Nichole was alarmed and said, “You don’t want to hire her, she might kill Aunt Gladys too.” I told Nichole to relax. Tami had primarily been a live-in caregiver who cared for terminally ill patients.
We Made An Agreement
An Internet search provided several contract samples. I used a contract from Agis.com and modified it to suit my needs. Tami works three days a week. In addition to routine caregiver duties she coaches Gladys through her physical therapy exercises and when the weather is pleasant, Tami puts Gladys in her wheel chair and walks her around the subdivision.
So far, we are very pleased with Tami. Gladys is receiving good care and we are comfortable having her in our home. More Updates later.
Related Posts: The Ever Changing Life of A Family Caregiver
