how to look for babysitter or companion for my elderly mother?

Question

my husband and i are new to California, so we don't have any relative or friends in CA. My mother in law is coming to live with us and i might need to look for a babysitter just to be her companion when we are not around. she is 86 yrs old but doing good. can walk around the house and take her own shower. I need advise on how to find a babysit or companion for her. how to screen check or back ground check them? i call one of the aging company, they told me the rate is around $18-20 per hour or $120 per day. is that too much? again, i only need someone to be around her, in case anything happen just call 911. that's all.

Answer 1

My youngest daughter made (for her) wonderful money Granny sitting the Abuela of neighbours, when we lived in a townhouse complex. My daughter had taken a babysitting course through the YWCA at 11 years of age. And she Granny sat about 6 hours a week earning about $40.

And both the Granny and my daughter were happy with the arrangement....my daughter got to learn some rudimentary Spanish, and the Abuela had company enough to not feel scared.

So I suggest that you look around for young teenagers who have CPR and babysitting courses under their belts (they teach them all sorts of things like how to handle emergencies), and find one that you both like. You won't have to pay HER $20 an hour.

Or have you thought of taking a younger relative into your home that could sit your mother during the day, but then be free to go to night school or maybe have another part time job afterwards? You could pay her a stipend on top of room and board. My sister babysat my oldest brothers kids this way, way back when. It worked out for both of them for two years.

Answer 2

I think that the first thing you need to do is visit an employment agency, tell them about all the various chores you wish such a person to do in any given day and ask what word they would use to describe describe this person role, i.e. the title of their job. You start out using the word 'maid' then go on to list many things which might not be usual for a maid to do. If you use the word maid in an advertisements then you will receive applications from people who understand the role of a maid but if you state that you want someone to cook you'll hear from cooks. The same goes for cleaners and carers etc. If you want a general dogsbody you must make that clear but there will be a more accurate term than 'dogsbody' I'm sure. That is why you need advice before embarking on this. Carers usually do not cook or clean and cooks don't usually 'care'. Someone will be able to help you word an advertisement appropriately so that you will, hopefully, not end up having to hire 4 people.

Answer 3

I would think that the pay would be much higher in California. I live in IL. and the average pay is around $12.00 an hour for a caregiver. There should be an Adult Day care center as well. I don't know about California, but I am pretty sure that the Daycare centers charge on a sliding scale according to the Social Security Checks.They have bingo, cards meals and different types of activities that Seniors enjoy as well as the socialization with others in their age group.

Answer 4

I just opened a Senior Care co in oklahoma, the prices are pretty much in line for the industry. You can also advrtise in the paper for a caregiver. Require a state background check and references you can check by calling or writing to them. Require professional references from individuals or their families that the caregiver has taken care of in the past. Ideally you find more then just one person in case the caregiver gets sick or has some problems of their own you have an alternate. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Will not repeat the comments re: 'babysitter' but ditto them all!

Almost ALL states/cities have adult day centers with activities etc. that are wonderful - keeps interests levels up and friendships are formed also. [she needs more than just an in-home companion...she needs to have 'a life' so to speak]

Programs often provide pick up and drop off transportation too.

When it gets more difficult for her to go out and about is time enough for in-home companionship. There are many reliable women who provide such service. You can always ask for references and some are bonded.

Good luck. - P.S. Include her in on as many family-oriented activities as possible also :-)

Answer 6

There are things called adult day care, have you considered something like that? and even if you do want to get a day CAREGIVER (that is the correct title) not a babysitter, I would suggest that you place an ad in the paper's help wanted section and put in how much you are able to pay.

Answer 7

First off my friend please stop referring to it as a babysitter. A babysitter is someone who watches after a child, not an 86 year old woman. They have people that come out to the home to offer companionship to elderly individuals. They cook for them clean and do whatever light errands that might need to be handled. Good luck

Answer 8

If you have an extra bedroom offer a live in position in exchange for the care you need for her. Ask for references and a DMV printout. You can do a fingerprint check through your local law enforcement agency to see if the person has a criminal record. All of this is very reasonable in cost.

Answer 9

Contact the local office of Senior Services-they can be very helpful in providing resources and referrals. Oftentimes they will even pay for some degree of respite services for you and let you know what other kinds of services you may be eligible for. They helped me a lot with covering most of the cost for a respite worker 6 hours a week for my wife with dementia so that I can get out of the house alone for a bit.

Answer 10

believe it or not, go to Craig's list (craigslist.com) and start a search for what you are looking for. You may hit paydirt. Good luck Also, contact your senior community center, they have all kinds of programs for this stuff. The feds are paying to retrain many adults in this area.