Are there any agencies that can assist my wife with the in-home care of her mother?
My mother-in-law is in a nursing home,because she cannot take care for herself. My wife and her older sister cannot take care of her because of their health problems. My wife wants to take care of her but she needs asssistance.Are there any agencies that are available to help her if she should bring her mom home? What, if any, would be the costs? Her mom is 88 with numerous problems. Thank you.
Expert Answer
You are wise to research this question.
Giving 24 hour care to an 88 year old mother with numerous problems can be taxing even for a young woman in good health. With older people living so much longer, and with so many more chronic conditions, taking care is harder than it used to be. Family caregivers are frequently in their 60’s and 70’s themselves. Still, it helps to keep an open mind. It might be possible to get help for your wife and your mother-in-law.
In an ideal world, you could hire a woman to come from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. who would fix lunch, supper, do laundry, and give personal care. You might be able to do this for around $100.00 a day including payroll taxes, etc. Whether this would be enough or too much, depends on many factors. It depends on age, size of family support, size of house and most of all it depends on what your mother-in-law and her daughters suffer from.
I would suggest that you go to the local resources section of Caring.com and look for geriatric care managers in your community. Get a consultation and assessment that is personal for your situation.
If there is not a care manager in your area, you could also call a home health care agency and ask for an assessment, or you could ask your local visiting nurse service.
I wish you well with this genuine desire. Which ever way it goes, your wife will need a great deal of support and understanding. She wants to care. Compassion and love need to be supported by our society.