Any advice to find options on check-in-type care for a parent while I am away on a trip?

You could call the Caregiving agencies to see that they have to offer. Now, with the agencies you could be paying around $20/hour for care.

Since your Mom has Alzheimer's and cannot be trusted to eat or take medications, sounds like she would need much more than a couple of hours a day of care. When someone is in their late 80's, falls start to happen. What if she falls at night and no one is scheduled to check on her until 8 in the morning? Or your Mom decides to go looking for you and wanders outside? Or is that where your relatives and friends help out by staying with Mom overnight?

Some Independent/Assistant living facilities offer temporary care, but your Mom would need to go to the facility, and the cost might be expensive, but you would know she is safe 24 hours a day.

Most Assisted Living Facilities offer Respite Care. You would enjoy your time better as you would not have to worry if someone was there and what time they were coming. What if your friends had a family emergency who would help your Mom then? Bring someone new into the home that you have not used before now is a risky always use an agency ask for someone that has worked with a person with Alzheimer patient before. Do not use a friend of someone or a person who has an ad in the paper or online. Not Safe...

Our county has an extensive program called "senior options." They offer 5 days of respite care at no cost. It's paid for by our property tax. The client stays at approved assisted living facilities in the area.

Contact your local Office of the Ageing. They should be able to help you.

When my husband and I went on our first vacation in 5 years I found a residential care facility that had a few openings. We worked our vacation around that. Some states have Respite Care Grants that you can apply for. Hope this helps, good luck and enjoy your trip.

I am caring for my mom with vascular dementia. I went on a 10 day trip to another state. I checked into home health care but it was very expensive. I received get respite care at an Assisted living near are home. It was a process that started about one month before my trip, but I had peace of mind. They gave my a daily rate based on her level of care. I left with peace of mind that my mom was being care for properly. I enjoyed myself and came back refreshed. I pray this helps. May God lead you to the right place.

As much as you need a vacation and want to "get away", I would suggest taking your mom along with you and also take a hired caregiver. That way, you can keep an eye on her. The cost would probably come out less than putting her in a facility temporarily that will frighten her, causing her to possibly escape to look for you. Just my opinion...

We used the local Comfort Keepers when my brother and sis-in-law (who live with, and take care of, Mom) had to be away for 10 days when I couldn't stay with her. They came highly recommended, although I have a mixed review of the person Mom ended up with. That is in part because my brother left the decision until the very last minute.

Comfort Keepers offers different options for care, ranging from 2 hrs/ day through live-in help. We had live-in help for Mom… cooking, keeping Mom clean and fed (this is where I had issues with the success… Mom went from 96# to 92#), keeping an eye on her, general company and safety. They first came into Mom's home to assess her situation in order to pair her with a caregiver. With a little more time my brother could have chosen between several caregivers that he could have interviewed. As he left it, the caregiver moved in the day before the two of them left, sight unseen before then! NOT my choice of how to do it, but I'm not "in the trenches" and they needed to get away.

I made two scheduled, and two surprise visits while they were gone. I wish I had put a security camera in place before the caregiver moved in. I don't think she mistreated Mom at ALL, but I wanted to see how they handled their time together without me being there. I suspect the caregiver did the bare minimum.

That being said… Mom ate. Mom took her medicine. Mom stayed safely home. Someone was there if she fell. Someone was there when someone came to the door. IT WAS WORTH IT, even if the caregiver was not exactly what I would have chosen.

Mom was very confused by this Jamaican stranger. We just told her that the caregiver was a relative of my sis-in-law that was staying with her at SIL's invitation. She accepted that… every time we had to tell her… every time she saw her again… Gotta love Alzheimer's!

Good luck.

what if you are married to a man that refuses to have anyone care for him? he is obnixous, abusing, lies, insulting, etc. what do you do with person that is destroying your life?

Thelmar, you should teally pozt that as a new question, and you'll get lots of answers.