Caregiver/Cook/Household Manager
20$/hour
Monday through Friday/ 8 AM to 5 PM
My parents are aging in place in Tennille, Georgia. My dad is 82 and my mom is 80. My dad has Type II diabetes. His diet must be managed. My mom has dementia. She must be encouraged to be active. Both are very friendly people, still able to bathe, dress, and go to the bathroom by themselves. My dad still drives.
For at least the next two months and possibly longer, we need someone who can manage a household during the week Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. The primary responsibilities of this job include:
Cleaning the house
Laundry
Shopping for groceries
Preparing meals and cleaning up after them
Involving my mom in tasks such as helping to cook and fold the laundry
There will be plenty of time during the day on the job to sit with my parents and talk to them while my Dad watches the news and my mom naps or does needlepoint. But we are also looking for someone who can manage a household, especially a refrigerator and pantry so that my parents can be provided nutritious meals. And we are looking for someone who can assist my mother in being more active during her day. When meals are prepared and light cleaning or laundry must be done, the caregiver must be able to jump to it and involve my mom. Although she can no longer use the stove, my mom can chop vegetables, set the table, and fix glasses. But she must be encouraged, not simply asked.
Sometimes my Dad will insist that they do not need food or that my Mom does not need to help. We need someone who can work around him without directly telling him no. In other words we need someone forceful enough to ignore him but able to do so in a delicate and sometimes sneaky way.
Another must is that the meals must have little to no sugar or carbs but still be home cooked and delicious. A perfect example would be something as simple to cook as a hamburger steak with a sweet potato and broccoli. For breakfast two fried eggs with a piece of whole wheat toast. Salmon croquettes with a salad. We are not looking for a world class chef. We need someone who can prepare meals from scratch and do so efficiently. We are open to menu ideas (my parents will mostly eat anything) as long as they do not include sugar or carbohydrates (or at least very little of them).
Experience is obviously a plus but we are also willing to take someone new to such a position as long as they have a lot of initiative and gumption. My mom, even with her dementia, is a joy to be around. She enjoys being hugged and being helpful. My dad is of sound mind and is also funny, but he struggles with his blood sugar. He can also get quite frustrated with politics and depressed about my mom’s condition. Although he is very opinionated, he is also not afraid to apologize and is a sweet natured man at heart. He does not move/walk well. My mom moves/walks like a 60 year old. In many ways taking care of my mom who has dementia is much easier than taking care of my dad who has been known to try caregivers’ patience.
