Where do I find someone to stay with my dementia spouse on days I have other appointments?

Another thought... the Heartland nursing home in Ann Arbor, close to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, may have a home care division. I don't know if they would have someone available for just a day, and you would have to have a prescription to get home care. St. Joe's used to have a really top notch home care group. I've heard it's changed over the years, but of all the home care agencies we've used, they were the best.

I mention this just in case you have trouble finding someone without going through an agency.

I suspect it would be more expensive than $8/hour, but if you can't find anyone, it's an option.

Another alternative would be to find a senior center or adult day care center where you could take your husband while you're taking your son to Ann Arbor.

You can contact your local Area Agency on Aging for lists of caregiving agencies, then contact them, get information about their staff (experience, bonding, special areas of expertise, if any) and hopefully have an opportunity to interview them before hiring.

I do think that $8 might be a bit on the low side if you deal with an agency, which can often be the safest way. If you hire someone directly, get as much information about the person as you can, ask if you can do a credit report, secure financial and valuable information in the home just in case.

I don't intend to scare you, but others have reported bad situations with some caregivers.

Another alternative is to contact local churches to see if they have anyone who might be interested. You'd probably have more flexibility financially if you could find someone like this.

An additional alternative is to contact the Washtenaw Community College's head of the Nursing curriculum. Eastern Michigan University for years has been well known for its nursing program. I don't know if that's still the case, but it's another option.

A student nurse might be interested in making some extra money.