I finally broke down and hired an agency after the privately hired caregivers went overseas and did not return. The first one either does not understand what Mom says or just ignores her when she says she wants something, They are sending us a new one to try but I am not hopeful. In some ways it would be easier if she wasn't doing well in most ways and needed full time care. I would not feel bad about putting her in a facility but this circle of part time caregivers is crazy.
It's not uncommon for an agency to take 30-50%. Where I live, the cheapest agencies are $26/hour. I've spoken to the people they send over and they get $13-$15/hour. Which for my area is basically minimum wage. They would make more working at Starbucks and get better benefits.
My Mom had problems understanding the Queen's English, southern and Boston accents.... [sigh].
It's good that the agency is sending different caregivers to try out. My Dad picked two to be his regular scheduled caregivers and they were with him over a year. The other shifts weren't that important, Dad did prefer an more mature caregiver compared to someone right out of school as there was much more in common to talk about. What 18-25 year old would know who Frank Sinatra was?
You have a right to ask for someone who can understand and communicate. I have dealt with this on the phone.