Hello, I am looking for two caregivers experienced with Parkinson's patients to stay with my 84 year old Mother in her beautiful home during the week and on weekends. You will divide your time amongst three other caregivers. You will need to have experience with changing under garments, bathing, hygiene, daily catheter, feeding, medication administration, assistance with walking and standing and transferring.
I need someone who will treat my mother like their own, with love, respect and dignity. Must have references.
My Mom lives in the Deerfield subdivision (78248) in a very spacious, well-lit beautiful home. She uses a wheel chair to transport her to and from inside the house if she is having difficulty walking. She has a large walk in shower with a bench making bathing easier.
My Mother is very lucid and alert. Since she has Parkinson's, she is not very dexterous with difficulties writing, dressing and eating. You will need to regularly bathe and dress her. She does not stay in her pajamas all day. The existing caregivers are so sweet to style her hair and apply makeup to make her feel better. She needs assistance with a gait belt at all times while walking as her legs can randomly give out on her. It is imperative you have the strength to be able to lift her. Her blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day from extreme highs to extreme lows and can all of a sudden drop if she gets up to walk and even while seating or resting, so it must be monitored regularly throughout the day. She is soft spoken and it is hard for her to project her voice at times, so it is important to be a good listener.
It is absolutely imperative my mother is kept clean at all times. Hygiene is of the utmost importance as Parkinson's patients are susceptible to UTI's. You will need to change her undergarments regularly especially during the evening as I don't want her laying in urine soaked undergarments. You will need to use a catheter3-4 times daily to assist with urination.
Her Parkinson's and blood pressure meds need to be administered on schedule daily.
Activities such as bowel movements, blood pressure, what she eats, when her meds are administered and anything else pertinent to her routine need to be recorded in the caregivers log book daily. You will need to assist her with eating, while by her side, if she is having difficulty. Her food must be minced in small pieces because she has difficulty swallowing. She will need to be driven to her hair, nail and doctor's appointments as well as taken to the grocery store and other shopping if desired.
If working in the evening, you will need to check up on my Mother during the course of the night when you are sleeping. She will call you if she needs assistance during the evening.
The job entails DAILY housework such as cooking, cleaning, sweeping, mopping and keeping the bathroom area spotless where she bathes and uses the restroom. I do not want a caregiver saying "I'm a caregiver, not a housekeeper" with this knowledge, as we don't want to waste each other's time.
Currently we have 4 caregivers. One won't be working any longer due to surgery and the other gave notice to begin work in real estate. If I can't find the fourth immediately, the 168 hours will be divided amongst three caregivers for the entire week.