My husband and I decided to try to get some help with bathing MIL. I have not been very successful doing it myself. The agency we called of course wants 8 to 12 hours per week in 4 hour blocks. My husband decided to have them come in the evening so we can go out. This is making me nervous. Having a stranger in my home unsupervised except for mom. Advice anyone?
Your mom is no longer in a position to supervise anyone. The idea about hospice is a good one, but I still wouldn't leave my loved one with a new person without a trial.
I hired from a well known, reputable agency, used by someone here and 2 friends from another forum, all of whom make good decisions.
The local franchise agency provided 3 people. Only one was competent and reliable, but she was a smoker. Even though she did go outside to have a cigarette, I wasn't really comfortable with having a smoker in the house, particularly with oxygen use.
However, she was competent, reliable and very attentive, spotting an emergency and perhaps avoiding a serious, permanent event. She was also very professional, friendly and cooperative.
The other two were worthless. One had lived in the area for years, only about 6 miles away, but got lost and took 45 minutes to arrive. Then she set about "cleaning" (I was okay with that), until I discovered her using a wet rag on a power strip plugged into the wall and supporting a refrigerator.
When I asked why she was using something wet on an electric power strip, she said it was okay since she wasn't squeezing water into the plug holes.
I told her I didn't have anything else for her to do and she could leave early, then called the service and said she wasn't suitable.
The other undesirable decided the cleaning she would do was using undiluted bleach in a closed house (this was February). She got mad when I suggested that this wasn't a good idea - no one should smell bleach that strong in a confined area.
She did do a good job on reorganizing a cabinet to prioritize filing of dysphagia food candidates as well as other canned foods.
Common sense obviously was lacking though. There's no way I would trust either of them in the house alone with my father. The house might not be there by the time I returned, or they both might be passed out or on their way to the ER from the odor of bleach in a confined environment.
That’s why constant monitoring is necessary. Whether it’s popping in unexpectedly or cameras you can check on smartphones.
Hugs 🤗