Coping with Caregivers

Post Reply New Topic

My health insurance company has decided to pay for a caregiver to come in 12 hours per week to help me with household tasks. On one hand, that's great, since I do need the help. On the other hand, I have no idea how I'm going to cope with having somebody not of my choosing in my house for 12 hours every week (probably for three 4-hour sessions). It sounds overwhelmingly stressful and totally exhausting.

So, er, any thoughts? Does anyone have methods they use to deal with the invasion of personal space that caregivers inevitably represent?

Right now i am having to live some place where i have maids come and clean my room 4 times a week and i can say i am not a fan of it but in spite of a lot of my initial worries it has been fine. Work out i have gotten to live in the cleanest place i have ever lived in. The reason i allow it is because they told me it is part of the requirements for living there.
So i know like you i would prefer my privacy but if i really needed the help i would try it out and see how it works because you are in control of it right? I mean your free to call it off if it is not working for you right?
But it is suprising they would not let you at least meet with the people they have available to interview them and see which one you would like to work with you. I know I would like some control over who is coming to my house and see if i even like them. But if you can't do this give it a chance just to see how it goes. You can say to yourself you are giving it a probationary period and if by this time your not happy you can talk with the company providing the service. Now you dont need to tell them this and probably better if you dont.
Also if you prefer interviewing the person working with you first is there other agencies that do this type of work that will allow you to interview/meet the people you are working with first?

It is stressful.

Hopefully, you and the caregiver can come to an understanding where you list tasks for said person at the beginning of the day, and you allow the caregiver to do the caregiver thing and you do your thing with the caregiver giving you ample warning of when your "space" is needed. It often will take time to get the caregiver to understand you want more privacy and less interaction than most people. Some will never understand. Hopefully, you do have the ability to say to the insurance company or the agency the insurance company has contracted out to that this person is not working out please send another one. I have never run into a situation where I did not have that option.

Yes, it is stressful. But, consider the alternative. You do get to stay in your own home. Which is the goal of giving you a caregiver, to keep you out of worse housing alternatives.

Most states have a client employed provider program. Meaning you, the client, are in charge of finding a suitable provider and insurance pays them. You should pursue that with your insurance company and your state's disability services office.

Create a list. Put down on a piece of paper what tasks you need help with and what days these tasks should be done on. That will establish a routine. Sometimes there are tasks even outside the home that they can help you with. For example taking you to see your doctor or helping you buy groceries. This may be outside their scope of duties, but perhaps not.

Be friendly. It is always good to be on good speaking terms with your caregivers. They are there to give you a hand.