I just went through a long process of finding the help we needed. I’d say 16 hours a week should be manageable in terms of finding someone good.

Many of the people who are home health aides are independent contractors who work with multiple agencies to keep their schedules full, so often it doesn’t totally matter which agency you use because the pool of people in your area will be more or less the same. I’d say the biggest pro of working with an agency is that you always have someone to call 24/7 if you need to flex your hours up in case of an emergency or if things become harder.

That said, agencies are expensive and you pay way more to an agency than you would paying someone directly for their help. If you can find someone you trust without an agency you will save a lot of money. Care.com might be a good place to start.

Also, a lot of nurses assistants and nursing students do home health aide work on the side to supplement their income. You may want to ask around if you know anyone in the field if they know anyone who would be interested in doing this for you. You might get the added benefit of someone who is more of a nurse and less of a babysitter.

This process can take a long time and be very tiresome if you don’t find someone you like- having a stranger in your home is not always an easy transition so finding a good fit is important. Start the process ASAP so you don’t find yourself desperate later.

I am completely disheartened trying to find a solution for care. I wish I could retire and just take care of my dad myself as I enjoy caring for him.

I live 50 miles south of Pittsburgh in a rural area. My county has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state of PA
It is hard to find caretakers because they are untrained and get the minimum rate of $7.50/hr
Agencies hire them for18 to 25 per hour and claim insurance, taxes and training coverage.
The caretakers we've hired all started out at $10/hr but worked themselves up to 12 if they prove to be any good,
One problem with agencies is that they have a min time of 2 hours/visit.-that which makes them unaffordable to most homes at $50 per day.

That is horrid. I think it should be the law that cameras are used to record all activity if the resident wants that to serve as protection to those living on care homes

@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member
Wow that must be tiring. Is it from the other residents or the caretakers or both?