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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
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.
