Emergency home care services?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know of services that provide unscheduled home care?

My dad has Parkinson's and is cared for by my mom: help with walking, toileting, watching for signs of choking when he eats. But even though her health is generally okay, she has an intestinal disorder and, once or twice a year, ends up in the ER, leaving him alone in the house.

They use Visiting Angels, but their VA location provides scheduled services only. We wish we could find a service that would send an aide to be with him during an emergency. All their family are hundreds of miles away, and their friends are old and frail.

Does anyone have experience with a situation like this?

[Anonymous]

It’s only going to get worse. Time to talk to them about moving closer to family or moving to a continuing care
Community

[Anonymous]

It's time for a residential. Even if family lived around them, you are placing a huge burden on people who have their own immediate family members who need them. It is too much to expect some cousin or aunt to check on him on a regular basis let alone save him from choking?!There may be a service where you can pay triple and get someone last minute, but that is not sustainable.

I have experience in that my delusional family tried to keep this all going and I was that emergency person for too many years while having a spouse, kids, work. It led to permanent rifts. Every person they tried to take advantage of ended up resentful and burned out. Find a residential setting and then you may need to hire aide, but at least if aide doesn't show up there is backup. If there is no money for that level, you get the level they can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s only going to get worse. Time to talk to them about moving closer to family or moving to a continuing care
Community

Thisthisthis!

I am literally going through this right now. I've posted here this past summer about Dad (Parkinsons) falling and taking down Mom, who broke her hip. Thank goodness for FMLA, I have a case because I can't leave him alone. And right now Mom can't drive so I'm the driver too.

Anyhow OP, you're not local, and there are no services I've ever heard of that do that kind of care. It's hard to get scheduled care! It's time for them to move into somewhere. I'm sorry. It's time for MY parents to also but at this time-they won't! My stress level is a million. Your dad won't get better-he won't. Your mom has a medical issue and that probably won't get better either. If he's left alone, he may wander outside and freeze/heatstroke or fall in water or something.

[Anonymous]

Can you find what is essentially an on call sitter? Someone that spends their time caring for a family member in decline themselves that lives close by that would be willing to check in for scheduled visits weekly and be available for more frequent visits should the need arise? Or a college student majoring in nursing? Someone that you pay a daily or hourly rate but don’t need all the time. Even an older person still in good health that could use a small supplemental income? I’d promise weekly guaranteed hours, maybe 10, then pay accordingly if additional services are needed. If not your next step might be an assisted living facility. You might also be able to hire a company to provide this weekly and then increase care as needed but it would be more expensive. You could also look for a company that provides an in home care team, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist etc that visit every 3-12 months but have capacity to increase services as needed. That’s what we have now but it’s provided through VA so I don’t know where you’d find it but I know that they exist. Keeps us from going to hospital for things like blood work or monthly doctors visits but doesn’t keep us from visits to dentist or eye doctor type visits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you find what is essentially an on call sitter? Someone that spends their time caring for a family member in decline themselves that lives close by that would be willing to check in for scheduled visits weekly and be available for more frequent visits should the need arise? Or a college student majoring in nursing? Someone that you pay a daily or hourly rate but don’t need all the time. Even an older person still in good health that could use a small supplemental income? I’d promise weekly guaranteed hours, maybe 10, then pay accordingly if additional services are needed. If not your next step might be an assisted living facility. You might also be able to hire a company to provide this weekly and then increase care as needed but it would be more expensive. You could also look for a company that provides an in home care team, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist etc that visit every 3-12 months but have capacity to increase services as needed. That’s what we have now but it’s provided through VA so I don’t know where you’d find it but I know that they exist. Keeps us from going to hospital for things like blood work or monthly doctors visits but doesn’t keep us from visits to dentist or eye doctor type visits.

And what happens if on call sitter has Covid or is busy? Do you think a college student is bonded and insured? What if the dad chokes and the person cannot save him? That is a huge liability for that person and it's devastating to experience. You can probably find someone briefly and then once the person burns out or finds a less stressful gig, the person will quit. You will be frequently looking for new help. These jobs are miserable.

[Anonymous]

You can look for respite care at these times, which are often connected to a skilled nursing or rehab facility.

[Anonymous]

Call around to the agencies. I have accounts with three.
One is Brightstar, One is Comfort Keepers, One is a local one that I forget the name of. I'm in Maryland.

My Visiting Angels location will only send someone for regularly scheduled shifts. I have an account with them but I have not used them yet.

Set up accounts with numerous agencies so that you are preregistered.

Sometimes I have to make 3 phone calls but I can generally get a worker out for unexpected stints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you find what is essentially an on call sitter? Someone that spends their time caring for a family member in decline themselves that lives close by that would be willing to check in for scheduled visits weekly and be available for more frequent visits should the need arise? Or a college student majoring in nursing? Someone that you pay a daily or hourly rate but don’t need all the time. Even an older person still in good health that could use a small supplemental income? I’d promise weekly guaranteed hours, maybe 10, then pay accordingly if additional services are needed. If not your next step might be an assisted living facility. You might also be able to hire a company to provide this weekly and then increase care as needed but it would be more expensive. You could also look for a company that provides an in home care team, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist etc that visit every 3-12 months but have capacity to increase services as needed. That’s what we have now but it’s provided through VA so I don’t know where you’d find it but I know that they exist. Keeps us from going to hospital for things like blood work or monthly doctors visits but doesn’t keep us from visits to dentist or eye doctor type visits.

And what happens if on call sitter has Covid or is busy? Do you think a college student is bonded and insured? What if the dad chokes and the person cannot save him? That is a huge liability for that person and it's devastating to experience. You can probably find someone briefly and then once the person burns out or finds a less stressful gig, the person will quit. You will be frequently looking for new help. These jobs are miserable.

Debbie downer much? I know they’re hard I’m a full time caregiver. If you don’t like my answer pick a different one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you find what is essentially an on call sitter? Someone that spends their time caring for a family member in decline themselves that lives close by that would be willing to check in for scheduled visits weekly and be available for more frequent visits should the need arise? Or a college student majoring in nursing? Someone that you pay a daily or hourly rate but don’t need all the time. Even an older person still in good health that could use a small supplemental income? I’d promise weekly guaranteed hours, maybe 10, then pay accordingly if additional services are needed. If not your next step might be an assisted living facility. You might also be able to hire a company to provide this weekly and then increase care as needed but it would be more expensive. You could also look for a company that provides an in home care team, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist etc that visit every 3-12 months but have capacity to increase services as needed. That’s what we have now but it’s provided through VA so I don’t know where you’d find it but I know that they exist. Keeps us from going to hospital for things like blood work or monthly doctors visits but doesn’t keep us from visits to dentist or eye doctor type visits.

And what happens if on call sitter has Covid or is busy? Do you think a college student is bonded and insured? What if the dad chokes and the person cannot save him? That is a huge liability for that person and it's devastating to experience. You can probably find someone briefly and then once the person burns out or finds a less stressful gig, the person will quit. You will be frequently looking for new help. These jobs are miserable.

Debbie downer much? I know they’re hard I’m a full time caregiver. If you don’t like my answer pick a different one.

The PP is completely correct! Not a 'debbie downer'. They are being accurate and factual. Op isn't likely to find some random college student or retired person to be an emergency caregiver. Op's parents situation as it is, is not sustainable nor safe.

[Anonymous]

My fed agency offers a back up care benefit. It started out as a program for when day care was unexpectedly unavailable but then expanded for elder care. You could use it anytime the situation would otherwise make you miss work. They contracted with Bright Horizons. Same day calls were not guaranteed but you could get someone if they had available staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you find what is essentially an on call sitter? Someone that spends their time caring for a family member in decline themselves that lives close by that would be willing to check in for scheduled visits weekly and be available for more frequent visits should the need arise? Or a college student majoring in nursing? Someone that you pay a daily or hourly rate but don’t need all the time. Even an older person still in good health that could use a small supplemental income? I’d promise weekly guaranteed hours, maybe 10, then pay accordingly if additional services are needed. If not your next step might be an assisted living facility. You might also be able to hire a company to provide this weekly and then increase care as needed but it would be more expensive. You could also look for a company that provides an in home care team, nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist etc that visit every 3-12 months but have capacity to increase services as needed. That’s what we have now but it’s provided through VA so I don’t know where you’d find it but I know that they exist. Keeps us from going to hospital for things like blood work or monthly doctors visits but doesn’t keep us from visits to dentist or eye doctor type visits.

And what happens if on call sitter has Covid or is busy? Do you think a college student is bonded and insured? What if the dad chokes and the person cannot save him? That is a huge liability for that person and it's devastating to experience. You can probably find someone briefly and then once the person burns out or finds a less stressful gig, the person will quit. You will be frequently looking for new help. These jobs are miserable.

Debbie downer much? I know they’re hard I’m a full time caregiver. If you don’t like my answer pick a different one.

The PP is completely correct! Not a 'debbie downer'. They are being accurate and factual. Op isn't likely to find some random college student or retired person to be an emergency caregiver. Op's parents situation as it is, is not sustainable nor safe.

+1. Many of us have lived this with elderly parents. The person who said "Debbie Downer much" is incredibly naive.