About who needs care: My wife has ALS. She has lost use of her arms and legs. She cannot stand on her own or walk or adjust herself in bed. She cannot feed herself and needs assistance with all her daily life activities 8am: The day starts with making her coffee then using a lift to get her out of bed and onto a commode chair that is wheeled over the toilet. From the bathroom, she is wheeled to the living room and transferred to a reclining chair. I then make her breakfast and feed her. After breakfast, she is given medication, and we go back to the bathroom. She will then usually go back to her chair. It is typically around 11:30 in the morning when she gets back to her chair. I set her up with an eye controlled Ipad and phone and she will read, email, etc for a couple of hours. Around 1:30, I transfer her back to the commode chair and wheel her to the bathroom again. Afterwards she transfers to another wheelchair that she can use to peddle an exercise device. When she is done exercising, we go back to her reclining chair for a late lunch. She will mostly stay in her reclining chair the rest of the day except for trips to the bathroom typically every 2 to 3 hours. At around 8 p.m. she has a snack and a glass of wine. At 10pm, I take her to the bathroom and use the lift to transfer her to bed. During the night, she needs occasional assistance to turn to the side or adjust blankets. About the care needs: We are looking for someone that can typically stay with her for a continuous period of about 48 hours that will include two nights while I am away at work. My schedule varies, but Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon is common. We have a couple of different lift devices that we use. Patience and compassion are important. ALS has affected her speech, so being able to carefully listen and understand her is also important. She likes quiet and not too much talking. We also have two adult sons ages 23 and 25 living in the house that spend time with her and can be of assistance, but they are not comfortable taking her to the bathroom. Services needed include: meal preparation, errands / shopping, light housekeeping, feeding, bathing / dressing, and mobility assistance.
Mobility Assistance
Bathing / Dressing
Feeding
Light Housekeeping
Meal Preparation
Errands / Shopping