I've been a live-in caregiver for a family member for 6 years. Need help! From where?

Agencies share information. So a new agency will call the old agency and if the file shows non-compliance, non payment, litigation, multiple refusal of assigned caregivers or employees refusing to take the assignment, the new agency will find a reason not to take your case. If a nursing home or rehab shows patient removed AMA (against medical orders) you won't get in.

I finally got hospice for Dad last Tuesday and by Thursday I ended up revoking them. An RN was sent out along with the account executive the first day to see if he qualified. The next day he was under hospice. The RN came out Wednesday and took his blood pressure and said it was good and then I asked her to take his blood sugar. She said she didn't have a blood glucose monitor so I gave her the one my Mom had. The monitor was about 2 years old so it wasn't a newer one. The nurse took a needle out of my case that belonged to an insulin syringe and asked me how to do it. She had the wrong needle in her hand and I had to show her that you use a lancet to take blood sugars. I ended up testing his blood sugar while all she did was hold his finger. Then she left. After she left, I took his blood pressure, It was 84/54..well doesn't sound good to me. Thursday dad was to have an aide come to give him a bath. I was asked if he wanted one morning or afternoon. He said mornings. He was up at 6:30 that morning and it was 15 after 11:00 when the aide was coming. He had gone back to bed and refused a bath so I called the bath giving off and he also said he was not going to take any medicine because they wanted to give him medicine for his dementia. Well..ok but dad has about 8 other things wrong with him outside of the dementia. Just seemed that hospice was not the answer for me because I still end up doing everything myself and what is he suppose to do about all of the other things that are seriously wrong with him that they aren't giving him any medicine for.

TeriCNA, if your Dad is paying for caregivers, usually the better rated Agencies will come to the house to do an interview, and you can interview them. Such Agencies are licensed, bonded, insured, and have workman's comp for their caregiving employees. And one can call 24 hours to the office if help is needed.

For my own Dad, the Agency sent out a variety of caregivers, thus my Dad was able to say which caregivers he really liked, so he was able to get them scheduled on a regular basis. He had two caregivers who were with him for a whole year.

If the caregivers for your Dad are being paid through Medicaid, then the service might do things differently. Medicaid is paid through State taxes, with Federal funds allocated to that State... not all States will use the same dollar amounts for Medicaid.

a home health care aide is NOT a certified LVN or LPN. it sounds as though your father would do far better in a nearby facility where there is supervision, activities and companionship. have you looked into that?

when my mom was still at home, the aides that our private pay agency sent varied from good to below par. we called and asked that below par not return. agency was happy for the feedback.