Can you help me find a caregiver who can come in an emergency situation without a call ahead of time?

This is 2023, just read your message.
Hope u recovered well.
God bless.

A 24 hr caregiver.

Since you are having surgery, you probably qualify for home health. Either call your medical insurance company about this or talk to the case manager/social worker where you will be having the surgery. They can arrange for a local home health care agency to provide an aide for you.

If you reserve a person to be on 24/7 call, you pay for their time - as they are unable to work / be available for anyone else.

Could you work with a social worker to help you make needed arrangements? Ask your medical provider for referral or the hospital / medical provider you are associated with.

Gena / Touch Matters

It's possible to arrange single shifts (4-6 hours) a day in advance, but I'm not aware of any services that offer as-needed care on a tighter timeline. (Maybe same-day is possible with some of the services others are recommending.)

Also, I doubt these folks would lift you. Even home-health occupational therapists don't do that. They'd have to call the paramedics. 

Maybe you could just request a "lift assist" yourself and have some sort of well-placed hide-a-key to direct the paramedics to so they don't have to break down your door?

Would you be strong enough to crawl to a lift? If yes, maybe something like "Indeelift" with a walker nearby would work? I think this is for people with a good deal of upper-body strength. Otherwise, it is no longer an "indee" lift and you'd need someone to help.

It's possible that neighbors would these days be too fearful of lawsuits to even help you onto a mechanical lift. That's a pretty sad commentary on what has happened to neighborhoods.

Maybe wearing a helmet would make sense?

For "incontinence emergencies," maybe just wear one of those primo Abena briefs and change it out when the emergency has passed? 

All: Please don't judge me for making "unsafe" suggestions. I cannot get a good read on how important it is to Suza150 to recover at home. If it's very important--perhaps even more important than "safety"--it's fair, I think, to at least float a few possibilities. Anyone who can find their way to this forum to solicit advice is in good enough shape to discard my ideas as impractical/too-dangerous/stupid.

Good luck, Suza150!

We used Senior Nannies for mom and pop .They were able to get someone to the house the next day. I am sorry that you are going through this. Proud of you for your willingness to accept the help. You may have some homehealth with your medicare insurance for a few weeks after so check into that. I hope everything goes well.

Suza150: Go to Care.com to set up a caregiver for yourself, i.e. a specified number of hours daily as it's going to be hard to find a caregiver 'at the drop of a hat.'

OR perhaps you'll want to go to a rehabilitation facility to be cared for by medical professionals.

I'm going to tell you right now and this is from 25 years of experience as an in-home caregiver and as the owner of a homecare agency.

Unless you are moving in a live-in caregiver or hiring one to work set hours, you're out of luck.

No one in this line of work is going to keep their schedule free and not take work in case you may need help sometime.
Homecare does not work like that.

If you fall call 911. That's what it's for. Honestly though, if you are incontinent, about to have surgery, often feels faint, and is a fall risk you should have someone living with you who can help. Or consider assisted living.

Care.com ( not affiliated with them in anyway). I like they have photos and what the tasks the person can do on the website.

"I will need someone strong enough to assist me if I faint or fall which has happened recently."

Do you have a diagnosed condition that is causing you to fall/faint? If you've not seen a doctor for this, I strongly recommend that you do.

If you do have a diagnosed condition that is causing this, I would want an aid who is certified for fall risk clients, and any other medical issue you may have that you have not mentioned in your post.

Do you have a fall-alert system (necklace, button, phone) for your fall issue? Maybe it's time to consider one?

Your Axonics surgery is an outpatient, minimally invasive procedure (sacral neuromodulation implant for incontinence).

From what I’ve seen people in your situation usually go to rehab post surgery for three weeks or until they are stable enough to be on their own. If you prefer to recuperate at home you would be hiring caregivers probably 24/7. Presumably there are medical professionals involved in your surgery and follow up care. They should be able to advise you about resources in your area. One middle aged woman doesn’t seem like a good idea for someone who is prone to falling and passing out. You both could be injured.

Most caregivers who work for an agency are going to want regular steady hours. It isn’t set up like employees who work for a temp agency that are satisfied with occasional work.

I think you should look at hiring someone on a regular basis. Prepare now for your needs. Don’t wait for an emergency to occur and risk the possibility of not having any help.

Best wishes to you.

You should go to rehab and speak with your doctor about after care and Post op . He could write a script for a walker ( which medicare will Pay ) In Home Physical therapy and a VNA Nurse to come In . People have mentioned Lift assist . Most People go to rehab if they are a Fall risk . You need a care Plan .

Perhaps temporary placement in respite care? Nursing facility?

Do an Internet search on topic, "temporary care for seniors."

It sounds like after your Axonics Therapy surgery that you will need to hire 24/7 caregivers if you can afford it. If you can't then you will have to go to rehab until you are able to take care of yourself again.

Why are you fainting and falling recently? How are you addressing this issue with a doctor?

If you fall you will need to call 911 for lift assistance. Fainting can cause more serious injuries so I suggest a life alert call button you wear and can call for help when you wake up.

Suza, many of the other “expert advisors” have made some excellent recommendations, but as you may have noticed, there are many naysayers and pessimists here to help. I suggest you avoid their negativity the best you can.

It sounds like the care you are seeking may be best delivered by a neighbor or relative who is willing to help. At the very least, have them watch some YouTube videos on assisting a fallen senior - particularly the “two chair” method because it’s safer for both parties. As a “concerned stranger,” I would insist you get an “emergency button” to push in an emergency and keep it on your wrist 24/7.

A few Home Healthcare Agencies have been experimenting with a “care by the minute” payment scenario, but it is not designed for emergency care. It is often limited to I/ALFs or senior communities. Typically, there is a trip charge and a per-minute fee of $1-2. So, the first hour of care could cost upwards of $150 - an expensive lunch or load of laundry.

Suza, now that I have added my two cents, can I give you another bit of free advice?

Many smart, successful, and well-meaning seniors live in “hope and denial” rather than being proactive and forward-thinking in managing their health, happiness and independence.

It sounds like you are someone who is taking responsibility for your own health and well-being and planning ahead for your needs. Give yourself a pat on the back and a big hug from me!

I get the sense (no facts) that you haven’t yet come to terms with the idea that a bit of help to keep your independence is a good thing. As someone who is smart, forward-thinking and responsible, I suggest you take an entrepreneurial or managerial approach to the situation.

If you were the CEO, you would say, “Let’s get someone to help out with the work we can’t do, don’t want to do, or don’t like to do.” 

Consider that your body is now your business. Take a day or two and make a list of the things you may no longer be able to do, don’t like to do, or don’t want to do, and make a few phone calls to local home care agencies and find out how they can help. I promise you it will be a good investment that will pay off in your health, happiness, and independence - whether it’s just while you recuperate from surgery or for longer! 

I hope your surgery goes well. Keep us posted! ~BRAD

I agree with all the other comments.
Since you haven’t had the surgery yet, get a hold of a caregiving company and arrange for someone to be there on 24/7 until you’re stable again. It’s all right. It’s OK to have someone around to help. They might be able to do other things in the house to help you while they are there.

If you fall call 911 and tell them you have fallen and "NEED A LIFT ASIST ONLY." The fire department will come out and check you over and get you up.

Dr Google tells me that the average cost for Axonics Therapy is between $30,000 and $40,000, and that “Axonics does not guarantee that Medicare or any public or private payer will cover any products or services.... Axonics specifically disclaims and excludes any representation or warranty relating to reimbursement”. They also don’t guarantee that it will work.

If you can afford this, you can afford to provide decent pay and conditions to a carer.

Call an agency or go to Care.com and ask for someone to come in on a regular basis for 4 hrs a day minimum so they can get paid a sustainable wage. Nobody is going to be willing to drop what they're doing at a moments notice to come pick you up off the floor, realistically. Call 911 and ask for a lift assist in that situation. If it were me, I'd hire help 24/7 while I recovered. Or go to rehab during recovery.

You are on a chat forum of caregivers to loved ones here.

Good luck to you

My opinion, a middle age woman may not be able to pick you up. 115 is heavy when its dead weight.

You are going to need to see a hospital social worker to see that you go into rehab a while until some home help can be arranged for you. You may or may not need specialized care post op, but do ask now about expectations in that regard. And best of luck.

It would be unusual to be able to arrange for "emergency care" ahead of time, as you can imagine. Call some agencies such as Visiting Angels and the like to discuss options with them.

While you might find some agencies and ads on AgingCare site, do remember that we here are just a bunch of caregivers giving advice on a forum.