My home is very spacious and allows for privacy, but my Mom would prefer to stay in her own home. We are over 2.5 hours away and keeping house is becoming too much for her. She will turn 90 in April, and is beginning to show signs of confusion and we think she should not be living alone. Any suggestions?
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Temporarily, you could hire an in-home caregiver to come by once or twice a week. They do personal care, shopping, doc appts., housekeeping, etc. They can also monitor her well being for you.
Mom now lives one minute away from me. I have hired 2 caregivers to come in to do a few things for her. It gives her more people to interact with and she loves them.
Start with an agency that screens their employees and, also, (very important) hires locally. A good agency will bring the caregiver by to introduce them to your mom and will follow up with their care. We paid 19./hr. You can also hire privately, which is what I am doing now. Takes a little more investigating, but both people came highly recommended and they have been great. I pay 10-12/hr for people who have CNA type exp. and 18-20/hr. for former RNAs etc.
The other alternative, if your Mom refuses to move, is having a "roomate" move in or a paid caregiver.
If you really want her to move with you, take awhile to consider how this will effect your time and living arrangements. Being a full time caregiver is a big responsibility.
My preference is to keep Mom in a "home environment" for as long as possible. IMHO I think that elders fair a lot better at home than they would living in an institution.
good luck