My 94 y/o mother was rehabbing at my home after hip surgery. PT/OT think she can go back home with assistance. Of course her house is falling apart. Have you had experience with in home help I.e. comfort keepers, visiting angels, etc? What do I need to do to her home in order to have them help her. Also her car is not the greatest. Thoughts? TY. I should also mention my mom is not the nicest person at least to me anyway.
I could list all the stuff your mom would need, handicap bath, grab bars all over, maybe a ramp, etc, I did what I could for my folks, kept the place functioning but barely. It had a tiny bathroom, narrow doors and was just a falling down mess. I should point out that I’m a retired building trades guy and did all this stuff myself. If I’d had to hire it done it would have been some big bucks.
At 94 I doubt if it makes sense to put money into your moms house. And she’s still driving? How’s that going!?
As for comfort keepers, I found a great locally owned home care place run by a retired RN but mom fired them after a few visits. I preferred them over the franchise places. Depending on the level of care expect to spend $20 to 30 an hour with a 2 to 4 hour minimum.
Mom died last year but dad is in a memory care place and I have sitters from visiting angels visit him twice a week since I’m out of state. They’re a franchise but have been pretty good to deal with. They charge me $24 per hour but this is not caregiving, just companionship visits.
Prior to the caregivers coming into the home, a Representative from the company came over to interview Dad, and to talk to me. In return, I was interviewing her. My Dad already had the grab bars installed in the tub/shower, and that was all that was required at that point in time.
As for driving, the caregivers prefer to use their own vehicles, thus there was a cost for mileage, which was understandable.
The main thing is to get a good match of caregiver for your Mother. My Dad was easy going but out the numerous caregivers who were sent over, he was able to choose who he wanted on a regular basis. That caregiver was with Dad for over a year even when he moved into "Independent Living" senior facility :)
Now, will your Mom be able to budget for having caregivers in her home? In my area, the cost is between $25-$30 an hour. It does vary from area to area. Dad's caregivers were worth every penny, and if one couldn't make her shift, the agency quickly found a replacement for that day.
I agree on many things with Windyridge. Depending on how much care your mom needs it can be MORE expensive to provide in-home care than a NH. Experienced caregivers know how to handle the "testy" customers. Do you live with her? Are you her only other caregiver? Her being allowed to fire the help needs to be thought through. The help is for both of you and she may not understand how much work it is to take care of her. Good luck!