Finding In-Home care for spouse

Doonie

Wife has ALZ. She can still dress, bath, bathroom, hold conversations, drive (that will end soon), light cooking...but her decision making is faltering. I still have to work and cannot give her the attention she needs - the guilt is overwhelming. We don't have family nearby and have limited friends. None who are caregivers. We live outside of Atlanta, GA. Where do I start looking for caregiver help such as Personal Care Aides, etc. It hurts my manhood to say this but we are not well off and watch our pennies.

She needs companionship when Im not at home. Someone who can take her to coffee shop, or run errands, maybe light housework. Nothing medical.

She is the love my life and this disease is horrific.

Please, any help is appreciated.

M1

Welcome to the forum Doonie, though I am sorry you find the need for it. Couple of suggestions--you might call your local Council on Aging and/or Alzheimer's Association Chapter to see if they have resources you could tap into; I've seen others suggest soliciting volunteers from local churches, too, but that brings the problem of how to vet them. Or there might be adult day programs near you, some even have sliding scale fees. That would not be the same as one-on-one companionship but would give her socialization and give you time for yourself. Purchased care through an agency (you could look at care.com) gets pretty expensive pretty quickly.

I was looking for home care myself last year before my partner had to be placed in memory care, and it was hard to find in our rural area. If you're near Atlanta you may have better luck. I'm in the same boat regarding few family and friends around so I know how overwhelming it feels. Have you taken care of legal issues and Medicaid planning? You may need that eventually if you need to think about placement someday.

Good luck, and glad you found this group. It's a good one.