Is there such a person as a long-distance travel caregiver?

Did you find someone to help with this? Sometimes the facility they are going to will do this, depending on the distance. Not sure what they would charge. The adult family home my dad went to was 187 miles from his home, and they drove and picked him up at no charge.

If they can't do it, do they have any suggestions?

Like some others, I'm not certain what you mean by a licensed caregiver. It doesn't sound as if you would need an RN or LPN to do this job. Others have mentioned that CNAs may not be licensed across states, but that's very probably not very important. A nursing assistant without a CNA who works for a home health agency and has done so for a while probably would be fine. I have had many nursing assistants during times I was recuperating from surgery, and if I hadn't asked, I would not have been able to distinguish which ones were CNAs. Only if a caregiver wanted to work in a hospital (or perhaps a nursing home)was a CNA needed. If you are concerned about the liability of the caregiver, I think the critical point is whether a caregiver is working through an agency, in which case the agency would be responsible. Someone working privately as a caregiver should have liability insurance; this is something you should verify before you hire someone. Am I speaking to your concerns?

Baker2019: Perhaps your Council on Aging can assist you with information on medical escorts.

I’m used to long distance travel, and a 5 hour trip of 300 miles doesn’t sound all that difficult to me. It might help to clarify what you think may need to be done in the 5 hours (plus extra time for rests, toileting and movement to avoid pressures). You need someone to help with predictable needs, but not to cope with emergencies that would need a doctor anyway. Why are you insistent on a ‘licensed’ caregiver?

Clearly you know the needs better than I do, but I’d be tempted to wing it. Out of your 6 siblings, is there one who could spend a similar time with mother, see what ‘needs’ come up, and practice doing what is necessary? In any event, you will need an early start (with prep the night before), and clear arrival arrangements at the destination. It will be a long day. You should also think about how the carer can safely move around in the van, in order to do what needs to be done.

I’d suggest doing a dummy run, to check out facilities along the way – including options if there is an emergency. You really need to know where you can stop, not to be exploring unknown service stations. If you have access to the van, I’d do the dummy run with a helper in the bed and also acting what the carer needs to do. If you can’t do that, check the road surface as carefully as you can. Flat on a bed in a van, you find many many more bounces than are apparent in a car (and I’ve done this all myself when my back is crook, for 3 days and 1500 kms). A dummy run may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but it's a lot cheaper than $5K, and a very very sensible thing to do.

To summarise, I think that knowing what you are doing (and practising first) is more important than the license of the caregiver. If you do find the carer you are looking for (and check their manouverability in a moving van as well as the license), you might still consider doing the dummy run first. I would, if it was my mother.

Good luck to all involved!

Caution on Care dot com. If you read the reviews and fine print, it is difficult to get quality help AND there is a 2 year financial contract. At least it was last summer when I was looking for someone for my MIL.

Try googling medical escorts. That’s what it’s called. Some air ambulance companies provide medical escorts on commercial flights or possibly by car journey.

Instead of a medical transport company could you just hire an agency or private caregiver by the hour or by their 24-hour rate, for as many days as it takes to move your mother? It will cost some money, but not likely as much as a Medical Transport Company.

I don't know what you mean by licensed caregiver. Do you know?
As far as I know, the certificate caregivers might / could get is a CNA = Certified Nursing Assistant. Check local listings and see what you find. You then refer to a professional caregiver (to me that means how much time and experience do they have, and references). Do a criminal check, too. To work in a facility, we have to be 'vetted,' which includes fingerprinting = criminal check.
Check their insurance and who is covered - and for how much.

It appears from others' responses there there are websites you can research.
If you go through a company, be sure to ask about their employee's references and check yourself. Some companies do not do a good job screening their workers (they are so desperate to get people in their employ).

There are people (like me) who work independently and would take this on although you will need to look for people in the caregiving / care management field to see who might be available.

Costs may seem steep although when you figure it is a 24/7 job and they are leaving their own family and likely other clients, it will add up.
* Driving of an elder person which will have its own issues/responsibilities:
- Is the elder incontinent?
- What / do they have behavioral issues that may come out during this trip? And, if this is a possibility, how will the care provider handle these situations.

You might do better having someone accompanying your loved one on an airplane for a much shorter trip.

Gena / Touch Matters

care.com and you'll find someone.

care.com you have to join and put in your zip code and they give you names of home health aides with back round checks and you could ask one of them.

Here what I found with a short search:

https://www.seniortravelcompanionservices.com/about
https://www.firstlighthomecare.com/home-care-services/specialty-care/travel-companion/
https://www.travelingaide.com/www.travelingaide.com/skilled-services

This website has a search function for that:

https://www.agingcare.com/lp/bp-homecare?campaignid=20108844850&adgroupid=147895561846&keyword=caretaker%20for%20hire&affiliateid=C2B76E5B-BB2D-4F62-B5F2-60F00A57E756&opt=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2eKtBhDcARIsAEGTG41FSBj2yAoGHAuk6vVO2kGDlvA2cpYWI620bNvcZZgdAuNBtmc5sM4aAqm4EALw_wcB

Enter licensed home caregivers into Google you should be able to find a number of websites that let you enter your ZIP code and find agencies in your area. Many agencies have caregivers who will be able to do this. As previously mentioned, it may be a bit of a problem crossing state lines and because this is a long round trip but you can only find out by calling.

Please do pay attention to all of the concerns others have raised about her condition and be truthful with the agency. I understand that money is a concern and I would baulk at $5,000 but on the other hand I would want to make sure the caregiver is fully licensed and insured.

Licenses between states may be non existant for CNAs. Although nurses have licenses that transfer states the average cost is $60/ hr
Does insurance transfer? Do you have a PCP lined up and if not, it might take e several months for first appointment.
In your other post you say she has an open wound. Do you have a specialist lined up including wound dressings? Sitting on her butt for several hours is not good.
She has mobility issues so how will she be toileted at a rest stop. Does her mobility include more than 1 person lift? If you answer yes to the last 2 questions then maybe she needs to be transported by plane on a stretcher.

Baker, care.com is a good place to start looking for a caregiver that would travel with you to care for your mom.

Remember, you have to pay them portal to portal or you will never find anyone. The return trip will need to be financed by mom as well.

You might try putting an ad on care.com or a similar service.

My cousin is a traveling nurse and does this in her off hours as a service so looking to nurses would be a good idea.

My friend was in care with a friend for a journey from California to New Mexico. No certification just a trust that good care would be given for a fair price. Remember to draw up a contract and give specifics as to what you want done.

Call a care agency to see if they have someone who will do this. If u have a nursing school near u, maybe a student would be glad for some xtra money.