In home care

[deiter3433]

Hello,

My father has had ALS for almost 2 years and to this point members of the family have been able to care for him. However, due to professional work requirements of family members and progression of ALS we are in need of help in the home.

Can anyone share good resources we can go to that would be able to help out with his care in the home?

Thank you for your time.

 

[hangingon1]

If he is on Medicare, he can be recommended for Hospice. Hospice is usually reserved for people that are not expected to live another 6 months. My wife was hospitalized a second time and after that they recommended hospice. She stayed at the facility for 6 weeks and since she got so much better, they would not keep her there, but transferred her to in home hospice. It is a great service. She sees a nurse practitioner each week who takes care of her physical and medical needs. They are in contact with the same physician she had at the facility.Also a CNA comes to change and bathe her. Another upside, since I am her only primary caregiver, the prescription meds are delivered to our door. Now the downside. The CNA does not stay long, just long enough to keep her clean. The nurse practioner doesn't ether. All the other stuff I have to do. One good thing is that at hospice they seem to have plenty of volunteers sitters. These gracious people give of their time for me to go get or household needs. My wife had really enjoyed meeting them and I believe they are screened well. It has made a world of difference in the way I feel, since I get a break. Like I said before, Hospice is basically for the dying. If the patient does not die or get worse, they evaluate ever 3 months to see if they belong in the program. If not they go back on Medicare. Another thing that is good, is respite care. If you are very tired of caring for you patient, you may request them go back to the facility for respite care. They stay a week and then come home so that you can get a break. All in all a good deal since my wife is a quad. I did not know how I was going to get her to the Dr. and this has been a lifesaver.

 

[lgelb]

Post and read work wanted ads on Craigslist and local media.
Ask your local ALSA or MDA rep.
Post at your local grocery, kiosk on the street, community center.
Post at the local universities in the health sciences section (many have online forms on their Web sites). Same for health-related trade schools.
Ask neighbors, friends, anyone you have contact with if they know someone.
I wouldn't use agencies because I need to have total control over who walks through the door, but it's an individual choice.
Ask for an announcement in school, church, neighborhood newsletters.

 

[dragonflydi]

Ask your doctor if he/she can prescribe PT or OT through the Visiting Nurses Association (or any similar organization). Once you are in their system, you will receive an assessment by a nurse and approximately 6 weeks of these PT/OT visits. Then, ask the doctor to prescribe a B-12 shot once a month for energy. If a nurse comes to your home to do that, you will qualify for a certain number of hours per week of an aide. You only qualify for an aide if you are receiving the "care" of a nurse. Just the OT/PT doesn't count but it gets you into their system. You will be re-evaluated every few months but as long as the patient keeps getting B-12 shots, you qualify for an aide since the shots have to be administered by a nurse. It's kind of a "back door" way of getting help, but we were told about it by the VNA nurse so it's all above board. We've had a marvelous aide for a year and a half who comes MWF for 2 hours in the morning. This is covered by Medicare. Good luck! Diane