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I am a caregiver for my father who has moderate dementia. Might go out of town this year.

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I think that using a professional agency is a good option, but, I might also explore the costs with an AL and see if they could provide care for a week or however long you will be gone.

I'd be skeptical of using friends, family, etc. who may not be used to caring for him, because of multiple reasons. One is that they may not fully recognize the degree of care needed and let their guard down or they could have their own emergency and not be able to complete their shift with him.
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One recommendation is to call a professional caregiving agency and what type of care do they provide.... is it shift work where the first caregiver works 8 hours, then is replaced by another caregiver for 8 hours, and finally the night shift where the caregiver is awake throughout his/her shift. ... that way one caregiver isn't burnt out working 168 hour that week. If a caregiver cannot make her shift, the Agency will look for a replacement. There are some caregivers who only work only last-minute cases.

There will be sticker shock when it comes to the cost as the hourly rate could run between $15/hr to $30/hr depending on where you live and the cost of living in your area.

A good professional caregiving agency is licensed, bonded, insured, and has workman comp for their caregivers in case they get hurt on the job. The Agency should send a Rep out to where your Dad is living, and will do an interview. In turn, you are also interviewing the Rep by asking questions.

Once your trip dates are etched in stone, give the Agency as much notice as possible so they can line up the caregivers. Some Agencies will charge more for last minute care as it is more difficult to find caregivers available.
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