About the job
About who needs care: -Type of Support Needed- Mom doesn't need any help around the house or bathing, cooking or toileting and her mind is still sharp. She needs companionship and someone to stay overnight when I travel just in case she needs help during an emergency - if she were to fall or need to go to the ER if she tears the skin on her leg on something. Mom lives with me and she's never alone overnight. But with my new job I have to travel sometimes and it's for 3 or 4 days at a time including a departure day and return day. -Health Conditions - Mom has COPD and it's worse when it's humid. She gets around the house on her own but needs her rollator or grocery cart if she goes out. She can walk for a short distance then needs to rest and probably use her rescue inhaler. She also has gastroparesis, so she has to eat small meals and sip on liquids throughout the day. She has GERD/acid reflux so can't eat anything with any degree of hot spices - no black, white, or hot red pepper and no cilantro. She has diverticulosis and can't have seeds and she has trouble swallowing so needs soft foods. She also suffers from frequent nighttime foot cramps that are very painful and wake her up. Sometimes it's hard for her to walk when she has a cramp. Her skin is very thin and tears easily so I try to keep cardboard boxes out of the way and keep her steady on her feet going to and from the car. She's getting new glasses as she's having some trouble seeing writing on the TV like descriptions of shows. -A positive, fun personality- In spite of her health issues, mom has a positive, feisty personality. She's also very independent when it comes to getting around - sometimes to a fault. And she has a high tolerance for pain so if she says something hurts it's likely a 7 on a scale of 1-10. -Things Mom Likes- She loves to cook and talk about cooking and her time owning a restaurant with my grandfather. She enjoys talking about family and our chiweenie, Kane. She's a doting grandma to our fur baby. Mom also likes to garden a little and talk about gardening. She enjoys going for a drive, out for a coffee at a coffee shop, and to the grocery store. She sometimes likes to walk around a clothing or shoe store too. She loves flowers. -Smoking- Mom smokes maybe 2 cigarettes a day. She puts a fan in her bedroom window to pull the smoke out. And there is no smoking in the rest of the house. I am a non-smoker. -Wake time and bedtime- Mom goes to bed about 10:30 after feeding Kane and she gets up around 10 am and makes herself breakfast around 11 am. About the care needs: A good fit for my mom is someone who likes to chit chat and is a good listener with an energetic and kind personality. Mom likes to laugh and be a little silly sometimes - or more so laughs at me when I'm being silly and that brightens her mood even more. She's also a tell it like it is kind of person. She's direct though not in a mean way. If she doesn't like something, you'll probably know. If you like to play cards she'd probably be happy to do that. She enjoys having company while watching TV or puttering in the kitchen. In general, having company in the house is comforting. Patience and listening and ability to drive in case of emergency are the only skills you need. Just be her friend and keep an eye on her so she doesn't fall. She doesn't normally fall and just needs a caring friend. Services needed include: companionship.
Caregiver preferences
Companionship
