Caregiver thru a service doing 24/7 care in a private home - having a break?

DahliaFlower

How does it usually work with a 24/7 caregiver in a patients private home ? How do they get a break? The service says they have the 8 hour break when the patient sleeps. The service meets all the state and federal requirements. The service says it is up to what the care giver can handle or needs. Is this how it is usually done?? Thx, Kathy

towhee

It depends on the state. Some states will only allow an agency to schedule caregivers for 12 hour shifts, I think one only allows 8 hour shifts, but in those that allow 24 hour shifts that is pretty much the way it works. I think the caregiver working a 24 hour shift must be able to get 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep when the patient sleeps. If a caregiver is working 7 days a week, week in and week out (as some private, non agency caregivers do) then family usually arranges time off for them, where either family comes in one day a week, or they hire another caregiver.

I went back and read some of your other posts, and it seems like you are asking what does the caregiver do for bathroom breaks etc. They do what family caregivers in the same situation do, try to arrange breaks around the PWD schedule. A break while the PWD takes a nap, is settled watching a TV show, involved in an activity. Usually, they have a couple of go tos for when they get desperate. In the early stages you can put a note in front of the PWD saying you are in the bathroom, or whatever, be right back. In the later stages a bowl of ice cream is usually good for 5 minutes. Having several people you can call that will call the PWD and keep them occupied for a few minutes is another good one. I grew used to leaving the bathroom door cracked, so I could reassure my LO that I was still in the house. I was only trying to keep my LO from going outside to look for me, I was not trying to keep them from walking without me.

What you seem to be trying to do is to keep your mom from ever walking without assistance. Unless you have two full time caregivers, in the long term this is impossible. Because she has dementia and cannot or will not remember to stay put. I am not saying don't do everything you can, but don't blame yourself or anyone else if something happens. Even in a facility with more staff, your mom would actually get less supervision than the one on one she has now.