Thank you for your interest in taking care of my sweet 95-year-old mother!
Here is a bit of a description of her:
She is sweet and lovely to be around. But unfortunately, she is quite demented, and mostly deaf. She is not talking so much anymore, but she smiles when she is happy. She has a very fragile body, and her mobility is getting less and less as each month passes. She is still walking with a walker, but barely, yet if she stays in the wheelchair all day, she will become weaker and weaker. She is a huge fall risk, and if indeed she does fall, it could very easily be the end of life for her. We do not have a Hoyer lift in the house, because there is not enough room for one. She is mostly incontinent but also is able to use the toilet. She mostly needs to be fed but occasionally is able to eat by herself. She is mostly dependent on adults to do most things for her.
Here is what we are looking for. I know all of you who are reading this are caring individuals, but because of my mother’s extreme fragility, I can only consider people with the following qualifications:
1. You absolutely MUST have a good deal of experience working with very old fragile women.
2. You absolutely MUST have a good deal of experience working with transfers from bed/walker/ toilet/lift/ wheelchair.
3. You absolutely MUST have experience and strength in doing body lifts, in moments when my mother has forgotten how to stand and/or gets frightened by this.
4. This might sound ageist, but please do not apply if you are older (ie over 65) and your body is rather vulnerable. And please don’t apply if you are very young and you cannot connect with the pace of an older person.
5. You absolutely MUST have experience in toileting, and also making sure my mother doesn’t fall while you are cleaning her up as she stands over the toilet.
6. Please have experience in cooking meals and in slowly feeding an elderly person who might choke if you feed her too fast.
7. Please be extremely responsible and come on time to shifts.
8. Please be in good health and fit. We expect that caregivers will not bring contagious viruses into the home. When my mother gets a cold/flu or any other viruses, it takes her 6-8 weeks to get over it, because her COPD flares up, and she often has to go to the hospital and/or deal with serious health ramifications.
9. Please be kind and gentle and relate well to my mother.
The job position is part-time, and is on an as needed basis, providing substitution for our existing caregivers when they are away. The average work time per week could be from 5- 20 hours a week, depending on the need. Our existing shifts are from 9am to 2pm, 2pm to 7pm. Possibly this position might turn into a regular shift. We pay $30 an hour.
Here is the interviewing/hiring process I will be following:
If you are seriously interested in applying for this position, please respond to this post with a brief description of your experience, willingness, availability, and your phone number. I will not contact you if you do not provide your phone number.
I will be contacting qualified applicants by phone for a brief phone call, and then I will be conducting in-person interviews in a few weeks.
Thank you so very much We look forward to meeting you