How to find a good live in caregiver?

sfischer2

Hi. After a fall and surgery, my mom, who suffers with dementia, requires 24/7 care. Where is the best place to search for a live-in caregiver? Care.com, carelinx.com, Indeed or elsewhere? I'm worried about being able to find the right person— someone reliable, kind and experienced. Thank you for your help.

SusanB-dil

Hi sfischer2 - welcome to 'here', but sorry for the reason.

I can understand that if she can still do ADLs, you'd still want her to 'stay home'. But to get someone who meets live-in requirements is a lot! From trust to finances to time-off. For practical purposes, would an assisted living place be considered?

Caution! Some of the places you've mentioned will NOT leave you alone once you contact them. Several posters here have said that it was to the point of harassment. You might be better contacting the individual companies on your own.

harshedbuzz

My neighbor had live-in care for his wife with MS; when he remarried he sold the house to a trust associated with his new wife's family. They installed MIL with a live-in caregiver for several years.

His advice would be to find care via word-of-mouth. His wife found her own caregiver via a local support group. After she died, the caregiver had already lined up another client via the same group. That caregiver lived in the home with her own husband, and he was available to keep an eye on things if she needed to leave for some reason. The client's husband did not normally live there, but did cover an evening during the week and one weekend day/evening to provide time off. They also brought in people as needed for vacations and such. He's a CPA, so he managed the payroll, taxes and additional insurance needed (both workman's comp and increased liability on his homeowners).

I have friends who have found nannies via care.com, so that would be my second choice if I could find one via word-of-mouth.

HB