My mother has 24/7 home care, divided between two aides. Last week, my mother felt very ill. The aide who was there (and who has been with her for around 9 months) slept in her room that night, and coped with horrific diarrhea the next morning, at which point I called 911. My mom ended up in the ER and it turned out she had a UTI that had spread into her bloodstream. She was in the ICU for 3 days and then in a regular room. This aide visited her in the hospital and will be there when my mom returns tomorrow.
I feel like she deserves some recognition for sleeping in her room, cleaning up a horrible poopy mess, and visiting my mom. Is it appropriate for me to give her a card with some money in it tomorrow? And if so, how much, $20? More? I tipped the aides generously on Christmas, but I'm not sure how to handle this. Thoughts?
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Funny story..
Many years ago, I had a friend whose dad had severe orthopedic issues due to cancer. I think he had dementia as well. The family qualified for home health assistance and so her mom called an agency to schedule an aide.
The family kept kosher, and friend's mom indicated this.
Agency said "we can send you trained in kosher or trained in ortho. We don't have both".
Thinking quickly, the mom said, " send me trained in ortho; I'll teach her the kosher piece and she'll never want for work in Brooklyn".
True story. Good home care people are worth their weight in platinum and if your parent is accepting of this level of care, it's a wonderful thing!