Should I hire a 69-year-old health aide?

if you keep and pay her, you become her employer and you are responsible filing her taxes, and if this caregiver falls or allegedly falls in your home your estate can get sued.

Like the previous comments says, check her references. After all your mom needs TLC. Just screened her make sure she is suited for your mom. Is she physically strong to bathe her and lift her when is necessary. I am 69 taking care my husband who has dementia. But, I think the company, who sends you is responble. Whether she can handle the job. Good luck.

My mom is in assisted living and nearly everyone of the aides there is large and a few are very large. But those girls hustle and get it done. I wouldn't consider size so much but the age factor does. One or the other alone but together it might be hard for this worker to do heavier lifting and care. Especially if she is there 24/7.

My sister has a wonderful aide of about this age but she is her afternoon carer only (by the aide's choice). Does light cleaning, driving, maybe small errands. The morning heavy work of showering & dressing & bed changing is done by different aides.

But what's been very valuable is the social aspect. I don't mind if she sits & has a cuppa & they enjoy some tv. She has become quite a friend.

I'd agree to getting references. You want kindness & absolutely no rough manner or handling. With any new aides, always be viligent of any whiff of abuse: bruising, withdrawal or pain (eg aide taking half the pain meds leaving client in pain). Good luck.

I'd get at least 3 references checked and THEN make a decision about hiring this aide. Let the references speak for her, not her age or her weight, but how past family members felt about the level of care she provided for their loved ones. That is the only thing that really matters, after all, isn't it?
Best of luck!

I'd speak to her previous employer (assuming the previous employer is not dead, obviously), I think. Find out how comparable the two different roles were, and ask direct questions about how reliable and capable this lady proved herself to be.

It slightly depends on what you want her to do, but I wouldn't be worried about the age, and I wouldn't be worried about her size unless it prevents her from being normally mobile (which you can observe as she moves around the place). But as for a caregiver needing to be at peak fitness - anything beyond standard adult female strength you'd need lifting and mobility aides anyway, and it wouldn't matter if this lady were thirty and sylph-like.

The thing is, you could be passing up an absolute gem and genius of a caregiver, with fifteen years' satisfaction behind her, for the sake of mere assumptions.

Thank you for your responses. We are working with an agency and it is all entirely legal. There will be two aides living in 3 days and 4 days consecutively. I do live very close and can check in frequently. I guess I'm just torn because I did like the aide but logically it doesn't sit well.

Sorry, but in this instance a 69 yr old and obese will have an effect on how she does her job. Do not tell her that her age and weight is why u would not hire her. You can say she is not a good fit.

There are horror stories on this forum about live ins. One took over. One wouldn't leave the house after the client died. Another moved her family in putting the client in the cellar apartment that the aide was living in and taking over the rest of the house. Another, once the client died, told the son she could live in the house but he would still need to keep it up.

If u go this route, get a lawyer involved. Have a contract drawn up naming all the reasons you can let her go. Distinguish if she is self employed or ur employee. ( depends on ur State laws concerning live in help) This will determine what tax deductions u will need to make.
If you go this direction, make sure all valuables are out of the house.

If it were me, I would put Mom in an AL. She will be safe, fed and cared for. You won't have to worry about needing aides. You do realize that ur going to need more than one aide. This woman can't expect to work 24/7 with no time for herself.

I would tell her that her age and strength are a concern for SURE. I don't know the level of lifting, or if your Mom is lightweight, or any number of issues. I would think that this is worth at least a try. If she cannot handle the work you and she will know soon enough. You aren't under contract, and if she can't handle the work you can hire someone else. I might consider speaking with her on this issue, ask if you can check some references if it is of great concern. I do not know WHY this is, but my experience of women from China, Japan, Philippines, other Eastern Counties, who I worked with during my nursing career, remained exceptionally strong of body even when small and wirey of stature. That was just a personal perception, no studies done. Guess I am saying we can't know and it is worth discussing with her.
I do think Geaton makes good points below no matter WHO you are hiring; I was not aware that a hired worker can be considered a legal resident of your home, and find it worry.
I would also say if you are hiring people of any kind in your home, your liability insurance umbrella needs to be a good one, and this is worth discussion with your insurance agent. Liability insurance is often very cheap for what you get, and can be raised several 100,000 for a pittance. My Dad was always a believer in get great insurance and hope someone ELSE has to use the money you put in, not you.
Another problem to consider is that care workers who are expected to be "on call" 24/7 are now suing in court for wages, saying they are not paid minimum wage hourly and expected to be on call 24/7. This is a legal no no and they are winning in court cases, so care should be taken in this wise.
Seems so many problems all the time to negotiate in this world, but looking on their side you can understand.

Please understand that if she lives in your house, that is her legal residence and if you wanted a different person and she needed to move out but refused you'd need to go through a legal eviction. I would not go this route if I were you, just on this point alone. Do you live in the house also? Or would your mom be alone in the house with her? If the latter is the case I would also not go for this scenario as it creates an opportunity for abuse (physical and financial). And the aide is also a senior and obese? Three strikes to this plan.