About who needs care: My father just turned 79 and is generally very physically healthy, though had a heart attack in 2019 that was very surprising to all of us. He physically recovered well, but has increasingly challenging symptoms of dementia (primarily confusion and memory issues) that are reducing his independence and adding to depression of living alone. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 3 years ago and has still been living on his own and driving, but the symptoms are getting too unsafe for him to go on without more support. He could use companionship and help doing laundry and housecleaning, meal prep, and help with routines and remembering important appointments and dates of this. He separated from my mom about 23 years ago and never remarried, and he was always very independent, but has now become very isolated. I visit and do as much as I can as frequently as I can, but I live in Portland and have a 2-year-old. My partner developed a severe chronic illness postpartum, which is why it hasn't been feasible for me to move to Ashland yet to support him in-person with more consistency. My father has been socially and politically active since he was young and lived in an intentional community in India for over 20 years before I was born. He had a very unusual life path and didn't have a traditional career in the US, but had lots of experience in community as a teacher for school-age children, an environmental-restoration worker, and author of a few books. The ideal care provider would be very patient, engaging, and have some basic knowledge at least of memory-related illnesses. It would be ideal to be able to understand the ups and downs day by day as his symptoms shift. About the care needs: I think I wrote in the answers in the previous field, oops! Thank you! Services needed include: meal preparation, errands / shopping, light housekeeping, and companionship.
Companionship
Light Housekeeping
Meal Preparation
Errands / Shopping