My parents are 91 and 93 - my Mom has Alzheimer's and Dad is beginning to experience cognitive decline. Their physical health is good. I am their primary caregiver and I need support. I have gone through agencies for respite care but I can't afford agency prices for the kind of long-term, ongoing care support I need. I have listed a job posting on Care.com and have found one person who is going to be a great help but I need to have more than one caregiver for my folks as I am going to have double knee surgery in February, and I will need caregivers to live in with them for a few weeks while I'm recovering/going through physical therapy. I can't have someone come to stay overnight with them if my parents have not become familiar and comfortable with them well in advance and that is why I'm seeking caregivers for daytime respite support now so that my parents can get to know the people who will be providing greater care for them when I am not able to be there.
Any reputable CNA who makes a private living in caregiving is not going to take temporary daytime work a few hours a day and stay overnight so they can take the job of caring for your parents for a few weeks. We have to make a living.
I think your best options are going to be putting your parents in a nursing home for a respite care stay. Medicare pays for a certain number of respite days. After those days are used up, bring in an agency-hired caregiver. Medicare will pay for some of it.
The kind of caregiver you're looking for isn't interested in taking a few weeks work. Not unless you can make it worth our while and that will cost more than what an agency will charge. Go with an agency in your case.
The payment that isn't covered by insurance comes out of your parent's money. Not yours. They pay for it.
My boss and I found found a few negative reviews, the reviews were written by people who were never our business Clients.
Do you have siblings that sit back and do nothing, letting you do it all? If this is the case, they should be the ones who step up at this time.
Make sure the caregiver is experienced with dementia, and knows what to do. If not, it won't work out.
Check with your State for caregiving laws regarding the number of hours one person can work. Some States won't allow a caregiver who had put in a full day to also be helping out in the middle of the night.
What about payroll and payroll taxes? There are companies that do payroll, they do charge a fee.
Check with your parents' insurance carrier to see if your parents are covered should a caregiver gets injured while helping your parents.
I found my aide after calling our local Senior Services and telling them what I was needing. They directed me to a woman who had worked for them for 13 years and had just left to go out on her own.
I wish you the best in finding the help you need.