About who needs care: 81 years old, Parkinson's disease, gets around well with a walker but is a fall risk, can manage a few stairs with supervision (our sunroom--and his computer--is 3 steps down from the main part of the house; he likes to spend time cruising). Needs encouragement to work on physical, occupational, and speech therapy exercises. Sometimes, but rarely, needs help in the bathroom. Needs help with food preparation and getting safely seated in kitchen chair (stool with arms and back at an island--no table/chair). He has a LifeLine alert system, but I don't feel safe leaving him alone for more than an hour. About the care needs: It would be helpful to have some familiarity with Parkinson's disease and it's variations. Should be OK with listening to classical music. His hobby used to be woodworking, but that's no longer possible. Someone who could encourage him to work on other projects with his hands would be nice (puzzles, model kits, other things I don't know about). I have not been able to interest him in these kinds of projects and could use help with some ideas. Caregiver will need patience to work with his speech difficulties; he's using the Parkinson Voice Project tools and they help somewhat, but he needs a lot of reminders. No specialized skills are needed except being alert to potential falls and having the ability to supervise him going up and down 3 steps (he does it well, but shouldn't do it alone). Also, probably helpful to have a sense of humor. Services needed include: companionship, and mobility assistance.
Mobility Assistance
Companionship