About who needs care: My mom lives on her own with her small dog. She has MS, severe spinal arthritis, and beginning signs of dementia. She is fiercely independent but is in severe chronic pain and having increasing difficulty walking and doing simple tasks like pulling the sheets off of her bed. Walking her small dog and grocery shopping for heavier items are also challenging. Her laundry room is also in the basement down a steep set of stairs. She likes talking about art, science, and gardening and is very smart and progressive. She LOVES watching movies of all kinds (has a huge collection of DVDs) and talking about them. She gets all her news from NPR and absolutely refuses to use the internet, but will text on her flip-phone. At times she talks a lot and could use a compassionate listener, yet other times she'll have very low energy and need space. She typically sleeps in until 9 a.m. or so and has the most energy in the middle of the day. She is happy tending houseplants and watching favorite movies with someone while playing with the dog. About the care needs: The ideal caregiver for my mom is a compassionate listener who has experience talking with someone who can occasionally have some strange ideas about what's going on around her. Being a compassionate listener is the main thing, that and enjoying dogs, as her dog is her everything. Ideally I would like to find someone to help her with simple tasks, but could also be a point of contact for me to report on her general well-being. I have a Power of Attorney, but live a 7-hour drive away so it's hard for me to know how she is really doing. Services needed include: meal preparation, errands / shopping, and light housekeeping.
Light Housekeeping
Meal Preparation
Errands / Shopping