What constitutes "light housekeeping" for my hired caregiver?

MuddlingThrough, what is the caregiver's main assignment? Is hubby also a fall risk? Does he try to open the front door and leave the home? Does she need to keep an eagle eye on him at all times? What was the discussion with the caregiver when she came the first day?

Is the caregiver through an Agency, or a private caregiver? If private, do you have an employment contract that states what is expected of the caregiver?

Chances are when hubby is napping, the caregiver will not do the vacuuming, or any household chore that would create noise. Plus caregivers are reluctant to invade another woman's territory when it comes to housework, as we all tend to do things differently.

If this caregiver can relate to your hubby and he's a gentle soul when she is there, you wouldn't want to lose her. If she asks if there is something she can do while hubby naps, then jump at the chance to ask her if she wouldn't mind doing this or that. Or if you are home, ask her if she can help you with a chore while you are doing the chore [such as changing the bed linens], she may say she can do that on a regular basis.

I don't have any experience with this, but, would make sure that this wonderful caregiver is open to this kind of thing and that it's in her job description, before approaching her. Maybe, it's just me, but, I would not expect a caregiver to provide house keeping duties, beyond, rinsing off a plate or wiping off the counter after a snack or meal. If she was interested, I'd think it would involve more compensation. Plus, how could she watch the patient and do other duties? If the patient is sleeping, she would need to be quiet.

When my mom had caregivers, they did all the cleaning, BUT they knew that going into the job! Typically, mopping, scrubbing, or cleaning tubs isn’t considered “light” housekeeping. However, my mom was the only one living in the house & couldn’t make any mess other than spilling food/drinks. She was immobile, so while it was a lot of work to bath, dress, & change her diapers there wasn’t much involved in her direct care. Pain patch days (every third day) she would even sleep most of the day in bed.

How much housework you want the caregiver to accomplish really needs to be balanced with how much hands on oversight your husband requires.

I worked Elder Care as my 'career' and on one job I particular, I did A LOT of housekeeping--sweeping running the vacuum around, dusting. Did dishes or emptied the DW. Laundry, bed changing. Ironing, clothing alterations....

Basically, I sat down with my client's family and said "What do you want from me?" They were just so happy to not have to haul mom all over the country!

I'm not someone who can sit and play on my phone for hours on end--just isn't in me.

By no means did this family 'abuse' me, but a young mom with 4 active kids and a busy Dr. for a dad? Anything I could do to lighten mom's load was appreciated.

My client LOVED to shop (I abhor it) but her daughter would make a shopping list and off we'd go.

Really, what are your expectations of your CG? Talk to her. Some CG will do only A,B, C and no more. I did the whole dang alphabet.

We had to work to find our 'groove' on this and there were some hiccups along the way, but we found the balance between me being the maid or mom's personal attendant.

I will be honest when I say that when the family found out how little money I made, they worked out a contract with my company and I was tipped out monthly to bring my pay to $15 an hour. (This was 10+ years ago).

What would help YOU the most. That's what your aide should be doing.

My father had a wonderful caregiver. I knew she was a gem from the start but really, really knew it with the many that came after her. Not one could even come close to her compassion and her skill - not to mention her efficiency, reliability and work ethic.

But after nearly a year my mother managed to run her off. How?

Jackie worked full time. When my dad was napping she liked to stay busy. Jackie would do all the laundry, cook meals - enough for both my
parents - for freezing, for over her days off - bake up treats, even would clean up after my mothers demon cat.

It didn't take my mother long to take advantage of Jackie. As well, my mom began to refer to her as “the girl” when talking to her friends on the phone. I heard it and since Jackie was in the same room - she heard it too. To Jackie’s credit she never complained about my mother treating her like The Maid.

I would urge Jackie to cut back on the extra work my mother was expecting from her but she would just say “By helping your mom, I’m helping your dad”. A real gem, right?

It was more complicated - what eventually broke the camels back but I know being treated like a cleaning woman - when Jackie was a licensed CNA - no offense to cleaning women - was a huge contributing factor.

Now, I realize you’re asking about a few light chores - and from your post I can tell you appreciate and value your husband’s caregiver - which tells me you’ll not take things to the level that my mother did...

But still, I’d tread lightly- if I were you. You’ve got a caregiver you like and who is good with your husband. In my experience, as basic as those two things are - it’s amazing how difficult it can be to find that. Throw in reliable and you truly have a rarity. In my experience.

If your caregiver is from an agency, read the contract over to see if it outlines anything regarding housekeeping. If she’s not from an agency and nothing was discussed in her hiring regarding this extra duty - I’d leave it alone. If she was the type like Jackie, she would be starting some housekeeping tasks on her own.

Give it some time. She may yet self start some light housekeeping as she become more efficient and by route with your husband.

I have posted this before. I worked for a Visiting Nurse Assoc. We had a client who had a Caregiver from probably Medicaid. I knew the wife and she was complaining that the caregiver did nothing while the wife worked. I said something to my Boss and she told me the Aide was not for the wife but for the person she cared for. As long as there was someone else in the home, her duties were to care for the person she was assigned to. Now if there was no wife, then her duties would entail light housekeeping and laundry because they were being done for the clients benefit.

Light housekeeping would be to dust, vacuum, do dishes, clean up, sweep floors, maybe mop, clean bathroom do laundry. And this depends on what you established when u hired her or her agency requires of their aides. I do think, that whatever mess they make while giving a meal, should be cleaned up by them.

Thank you ALL. Awesome! I really feel informed. Most importantly, I got the message to sit down with my husband's caregiver and talk to her about it. Together, we ought to be able to work out a day that works for all of us!

Im a medical assistant. My job does not include sweeping, vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom. That is for the housekeeping dept. Those duties fall OUTSIDE of my scope of practice.

All of mom’s caregivers over the years have done light housekeeping- even the state appointed aides expected to do a bit. Not house cleaning but keeping mom’s space clean. Her bathroom and bedroom and her laundry as well as the kitchen. They didn’t feel put upon and we still have relationships with each one - ours all became like family. One point is we discussed all this at the interview so they could decide if they were ok with it. It’s important to ask instead of demand.

I think that light housekeeping would be wash dishes, tidy up after her charge, make his meal & clean up from this [I would ask her to also do her own lunch & eat with him if he likes the company], make the bed & possibly change the sheets - doing  a load of laundry & folding it or washing floors would be a grey area, but washing windows is out -

However remember that she is there to be with him not to just clean - talk to her because that is the best way to keep a good carer & that is your prime concern - if she is with an agency they will have a guideline if she is not then check one out & use their guideline as your own

My take is that she is there primarily to look after your husband...I would consider light housekeeping as helping make hubby's lunch, tidying up the kitchen, and maybe vacuuming the floor of the room where she sits and your hub's room if he is in there at times during her watch...In my view changing beddings or doing your family's laundry is not something I'd expect.

I'd suggest you continue to enjoy your day off and let the caregiver center on caring for your husband and if she has some time to relax, so much the better...

If, on the other hand, you feel that she should stay busy the whole time, I'd suggest you discuss that with her but not start to leave do lists for her...

Good help is not easy to find.

Grace + peace,

Bob

We have a private caregiver come in four hours per day, five days per week for my 88 year old Parkinson's ridden mother (Alzheimer's and dementia too) and her only duty is to take care of my mom and that's what I want as my mom's care is her only priority. She exercises her, prepares her lunch, cleans up after their lunch, gives her medicine and takes my mom potty and changes her and oh, massages her hands and feet.

If you want light housekeeping added, which I would regard as running dishwasher and emptying, wiping kitchen counter, emptying trash, sweeping and vacuuming main traffic areas then I would suggest you talk to her about it. If she agrees great, if not you may need to get a housekeeper or do the job yourself.

Giving yourself a break from care giving duties could be the best priority for you (I know it is for me).

Best of luck!!!!

I ask the privately engaged care givers (not CNAs since we don't need that yet) to assist my mother putting on her shoes, make sure she remembers to use her walker and is wearing her shoes when she gets up, please make sure Mom is properly positioned before she tries to sit down (if into the wheelchair, make sure the wheel-locks are engaged), help her brush her teeth and change into a gown, change her incontinence panty to the overnight version at bedtime, bring her food and drink (limited preparation needed like reheating in microwave) and just be with her if she seems anxious. Sometimes I ask the food I cooked for dinner be put away after it cools into containers I leave on the counter. If time and energy allows, I would appreciate dusting in Mom's room and the living room, putting toys back in the toy box, taking any drinks or food the kids have left out back to the kitchen sink, giving the kitchen counters and microwave a good wipe down. I leave the "light housekeeping tasks" light and with the expectation that Mom's care comes first and any housekeeping help is a bonus. The ladies almost always do some housekeeping, most times I come home to find the kids dishes washed and sitting in the drainer. I did provide a list just as I expressed it here during the interview. I also stated that after Mom is asleep, please feel free to fix yourself a snack and phone, read or watch anything you want on the living room TV.

Unless you pay her extra to do light household duties, I would not expect her to be your maid. Depending on how many hours she is working. Unless you have worked through a list with her of things that she agrees to do for the salary you are offering, don’t expect her to be a housecleaner or/maid

I would have caregivers handle things that were specific to or for my Husband.
If I tossed in the load of laundry from the sheets that I changed as well as the clothing that was soiled over night and towels from the shower in the morning. I would have them dry and fold those items and put them away. I had a small dresser next to the bed for his items so they were close and handy.
I did not have them do the dishes they would load the dish washer from the afternoon meal. I had the lunch ready all they had to do was heat it. If the floor became soiled (we occasionally had urine floods) they would mop that.

First priority always was my Husband and making sure he was clean, dry and comfortable. Making sure position was changed every 2 hours. I would have them change or at least check his brief every 2 hours. This changed position as well as checking the brief. If it was not wet I would have them recline the chair more, that usually allowed the bladder to empty easier. When they go t him into bed I would have them make sure he was cushioned so he was comfortable.

You could discuss with the caregiver what she does, what she expects and what you expect. If your husband does not need a lot of direct care at this point she should be..
Taking him for a walk (if he is in a wheelchair a walk is still nice)
Engaging him in some activity, reading to him, playing cards, drawing, music,
If you have hired this person through an agency the agency should have a list of duties that they do. I would not have them clean my oven or do the windows but a light vacuum and dusting is not out of the scope.

Light housekeeping can be to vacuum the rooms, tidy up clutter, dispose of the garbage, make the bed, do the laundry, and sweep/mop the floor. Even the floor can be left and just pick up pieces of things that have been dropped onto the floor.

UPDATE: Following everyone's excellent advice, I sat down with my husband's aide yesterday and had a chat. I said, "I don't want you to be bored when you're here. What do you most like to do when my husband doesn't need you?" (Blessedly, at this middle stage, my hubby is continent and (mostly) coherent.) I gave HER a chance to list her definition of "light housekeeping". Surprisingly, she listed things that I consider slightly heavy. Laundry, vacuuming. Together, we worked out a plan for me to post a weekly list on the fridge of everything that needs doing. (Including walking with my husband to the local Trader Joe's and walking the dog!) I gave her the option of picking whatever she wants to do from the list.
A real win-win for me because I dislike being a taskmaster.
So far, so good.
Thank you everyone!!!

Light house keeping means cleaning the área where the person you're caring for is sitting or sleeping, cleaning the toilet if used.
No the entire house.
Is only the area where the pacient is in.

Thanks, Grandma. Excellent tip. Especially since life is so unpredictable. I'm taking a "we're in this together" approach with the aide. A monthly assessment meeting is a perfect fit with that. Especially since a caregiver sees things that I don't see, like how my husband manages without ME.
Grateful to everyone.
Onward!

I would work out a schedule for what to do on what days. I would not be paying anyone to sit and play on a phone for the majority of time they work. They are paid to do things, so find things for her to do. -- Phones are ruining the workforce and how much time they are being paid for personal use. . . and more often than not, they don't see it as being paid to do nothing.