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Caregiving Services Employment Guidelines
For Care Recipient: _______________________
Address where care provided: _______________________________
Today’s date: ____________
(Care Recipient) has Alzheimer’s Disease (memory loss). This is a degenerative disease; it gets worse over time. There is no cure and no treatment to stop its spread in the brain. I, (Family Caregiver), provide primary care for (Care Recipient). I am seeking a professional caregiver to assist in that care. This caregiver should have training and experience taking care of a person with Alzheimer’s.
For the initial trial period of one week or less, the caregiver will try to understand all the tasks to be performed for (Care Recipient) by observing me or another caregiver perform those tasks. After that, if both parties mutually decide to continue, the caregiver will be charged with taking care of (Care Recipient’s) needs and the household management as outlined below.
Assistance required with the following daily living activities (I can assist, if required):
- Feeding meals (breakfast around 9:30 am, lunch around 2:00 pm and dinner around 6:30 pm)
- Toileting (after dinner or as needed during the day)
- Hygiene / bathing / washing hair/ dressing / grooming (everyday)
- Lead (Care Recipient) in going from one place to another – toilet, sofa, chair, bed, etc.
- Companionship – Keeping (Care Recipient) engaged for her enjoyment throughout the day
Other special requirements: Walking with (Care Recipient). She enjoys walks of up to 2 to 3 miles (3 to 5 km) at a time on most days. Caregiver must be able to accompany her for the entire walk every day – (outdoors in warm weather; in the YMCA in harsh weather)
Cooking: Breakfast, lunch and dinner or any other meal as necessary.
Light housework and household management: Daily general cleaning, maintenance and neatness of the areas (Care Recipient) uses, as listed below:
- Kitchen and eating area
- Master bedroom and master bathroom, including the toilet and the floor
- Living room
- Den and foyer area
- Laundry (3 to 4 times a week, or as needed)
Caregiver’s personality:
- Agility: (Care Recipient) may sometimes exhibit sudden changes in behavior. Caregiver must be agile and alert to anticipate such behavior and handle it quickly, safely and calmly.
- Flexibility: It is essential that the caregiver be flexible to adapt her lifestyle to ours. We especially need flexibility and adaptability to (Care Recipient’s) changing medical status and behavior.
- Certain intangible qualities are essential in the caregiver: personality characterized by being pleasant, courteous, non-frustrated and supportive of (Care Recipient) and her family.
- Caregiver must have patience, love, mercy and compassion in taking care of (Care Recipient).
Transportation:
Caregiver to arrange own transportation to and from our home. If caregiver does not drive, dependable transportation needs to be confirmed in advance.