About the job
About who needs care: My husband, Harold, has Alzheimer's, which seems to be advancing rather quickly. He is 89 and frail. He's supposed to use a walker or a cane, even in the house, and he usually doesn't, because he thinks he can walk just fine. Within the past month, he's fallen 3 times. I would like to hire someone who could come to the house, at first, for a few hours twice a week, and increase the hours gradually. Ideally s/he could stay overnight once a week, so I could get away. We have an apartment in Providence where I stay when not at our house in Richmond. Please note: we have a small dog and 3 cats, in case you're allergic. Cats go outside whenever they want to during the day. Dog must be walked. Harold is a retired college professor. He used to be an enthusiastic gardener, but this year he couldn't do much because he's frail and also not very flexible. He supervised his daughter and some neighbors as they planted or weeded for him. He enjoys talking about vegetable gardening, however. About the care needs: A friendly, kind, humorous, person would be a good fit. Harold is very quiet and appreciates lively people. However, he doesn't do well with nonstop talkers. It would help if the caregiver liked to garden, because that's a shared interest. As for specialized skills, it would help if the caregiver had some experience with Alzheimer's patients. Right now Harold can dress, bathe, toilet, and eat independently, but I think he's at the end of some of those abilities. He has had some toileting accidents; usually those are at night.
