Does Hourly Help Exist?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

My elderly mother with mild dementia lives with us. We have agency help every day 9-5. The agency requires 1 week notices for schedule changes, and a minimum 4 hour time block to book help.

What we really need for evening and weekend is a service that can be booked more spontaneously, and only for an hour or two.

Does this exist?

We could try to find someone on care.com, but we should have someone who knows how to treat people with memory issues. She also is a fall risk and uses a walker.

If we want to go out to dinner or run errands, it becomes very expensive because we have to book the 4 hours whether we need that whole time or not.

Does an agency like this exist? If not, any recommendations?

[Anonymous]

It's hard to imagine it's worth anyone's transportation time to only be booked for an hour, unless they live next door or something

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we had this difficulty, too. Your best bet is to find someone local, ideally a word of mouth recommendation, and provide some training if they need it. If it’s just an hour or two at a time and this person is not the primary caregiver, then extensive training isn’t necessary. What’s important is that this person is trustworthy and patient.

[Anonymous]

There is way too much liability there. You are looking for a unicorn and there is the potential to take advantage. Let's say you find someone naive enough to take this on and a serious fall happens. Are you going to sue the person? I had a relative who tried to cut corners and then we basically had to convince her not to destroy this person's life when an accident happened.

I not only am sandwiched but have a child with special needs. There is a reasons when the child was younger it was hard to find care and I had to pay extra. It was more work than the typical care job and we cared about safety.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you imagining that there’s a group of people out there who want to commute to and from someone’s house at the last minute for an hour’s pay?

I get why this would be nice for you, but how does it work from the employee’s end?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, are you imagining that there’s a group of people out there who want to commute to and from someone’s house at the last minute for an hour’s pay?

I get why this would be nice for you, but how does it work from the employee’s end?

+1 Strange how people don't consider time and expense of commuting

[Anonymous]

I would start asking around, maybe even on Nextdoor, and interview people. We did this and had a couple who lived close to my mom, who would come for a couple of hours. But they did require it be a set schedule that they could count on. Some people want a couple of hours to augment their regular jobs.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why people think it to be such a strange concept. Many babysitters just come to the house for a couple of hours while a couple grabs dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know why people think it to be such a strange concept. Many babysitters just come to the house for a couple of hours while a couple grabs dinner.

Completely different. It's much easier and more fun to take care of a baby, toddler or child than to take care of an elderly person who is a fall risk. A little fall for an elderly person can turn out to be a hip fracture, quite traumatic when you are being paid to watch the person. There is risk with helping the person get up if they have a break and you don't know it. Plus, over time you will see the person decline, not develop new skills. You pay for at least half a day to make the commute worth it and to give the paid caregiver some moments of downtime that make the minuscule pay worth it. Halls risk is a serious issue especially if the person with dementia is loosing common sense and has poor self-awareness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

My elderly mother with mild dementia lives with us. We have agency help every day 9-5. The agency requires 1 week notices for schedule changes, and a minimum 4 hour time block to book help.

What we really need for evening and weekend is a service that can be booked more spontaneously, and only for an hour or two.

Does this exist?

We could try to find someone on care.com, but we should have someone who knows how to treat people with memory issues. She also is a fall risk and uses a walker.

If we want to go out to dinner or run errands, it becomes very expensive because we have to book the 4 hours whether we need that whole time or not.

Does an agency like this exist? If not, any recommendations?

How skilled does the person have to be? Can a college or HS student do it?

[Anonymous]

Huge responsibility and liability as PPs mentioned.

I strongly suggest you hire through a reputable company. You can book 4 hours at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know why people think it to be such a strange concept. Many babysitters just come to the house for a couple of hours while a couple grabs dinner.

Completely different. It's much easier and more fun to take care of a baby, toddler or child than to take care of an elderly person who is a fall risk. A little fall for an elderly person can turn out to be a hip fracture, quite traumatic when you are being paid to watch the person. There is risk with helping the person get up if they have a break and you don't know it. Plus, over time you will see the person decline, not develop new skills. You pay for at least half a day to make the commute worth it and to give the paid caregiver some moments of downtime that make the minuscule pay worth it. Halls risk is a serious issue especially if the person with dementia is loosing common sense and has poor self-awareness.

And things can’t happy to babies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, are you imagining that there’s a group of people out there who want to commute to and from someone’s house at the last minute for an hour’s pay?

I get why this would be nice for you, but how does it work from the employee’s end?

+1 Strange how people don't consider time and expense of commuting

+2 We used a great 24/7 agency for my dad and location was all over the place because sometimes he would be at home, or at one hospital or at another hospital depending on availability of ER beds, or at a rehab, and finally hospice. We had to call the agency as soon as we knew where he would be and it would definitely affect how/when someone could get there. A lot of people take public transportation, and even just driving can be a nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know why people think it to be such a strange concept. Many babysitters just come to the house for a couple of hours while a couple grabs dinner.

And by "babysitters" do you mean a neighborhood teenager who serves mac and cheese and watches Bluey with the kids for half an hour before bed? Or do you mean an adult with medical training and they physical strength to support 150 lbs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huge responsibility and liability as PPs mentioned.

I strongly suggest you hire through a reputable company. You can book 4 hours at a time.

That's the problem. OP wants fewer than 4 hours. She thinks it's too expensive to pay for 4 hours if she needs less than that.

Like another poster pointed out, less than 4 hours makes it not worth the employee's time.