Need help/direction in finding a certified live in nurse for elderly aunt.

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a nurse living in the Philadelphia area of Pa. and have an elderly Aunt who can no longer care for herself and needs assistance. We would like it if she could remain in her home if at all possible but do not know where to find information on certified live in nurses. If anyone can give me direction it will be greatly appeciated. If not the other option would be assisted living but I want to make sure it is a reputable facility that provides excellent care. I then thought who could recommend a better place than other nurses. I am grateful for any suggestions.

Thanks,

Eileen RN

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Hi Eileen!

Finding live-in nurses is almost imposible. Do you mean certified nursing assistant (CNA) that you would be able to find but the cost is about ~120/day in Phila market. Bayada Phila and Epicure Upper Darby, PA are agencies I found to be reliable when I worked in hospice and we needed live in CNA's.

Cost wise, you might do better with an assisted living facility. My grandmother before her death in Dec 01 was in Chestnut Ridge Assisted Living Wallingford PA---superior care for about 1,800/mo twin room. Other assisted living in my area run $2,000-$3000/mo.

Have you contacted Philadelphia Corporation of Aging

215-765-9040; http://www.pcaphl.org/

They are the Office of Aging for Philadelphia, lottery funded and have fee sharing programs to keep seniors in their own home.

If aunt doesn't require 24 hr care, they are best but have wait list.

OPTIONS program provides services up to 45% of cost of nursing home care. WAVIER( for MA eligable clients) pays for up to 80 % cost of nursing home care to stay at home...more info at website. Call them Monday and they will explain programs and length of waitlists---new monies avail from tobacco settlement this year.

Good luck. PM if more info needed---homecare my specialty.

A live in CNA or home health aid would be more affordable. I alive in nurse, even if you could find one, would cost hundreds of dollars a day. If you want to consider some type of residential/assisted living facility there are some great one's that I know of in suburban Phila. (I work at one of them). Residential care may be a good opition. The facility I work out has suites, with bedroom, bath, and kitchenette with sink, storage, and microwave, but the residents still get help with medications, personal care, laundry, and any treatments. They are free to come and go at will, have the keys to their own door, and there is unrestricted visiting 24 hours a day. Good residential placement is available and may be less expensive than maintaining the home and paying for private duty.

think you mean a home heath aid. unless your aunt is on a trach or needs some pretty invasive interventions a nurse would be overkill. You should call some of your local home health agincies. Medicare should defray some of the cost.

Id also talk with your aunt. She might be more comforatable living in an assisted liveing then having a stranger living in her home.

P.S. home heath aids can give any meds short of IV meds, in the home care setting

Homecare is a whole 'nother critter :)

"Live-In" usually means the caregiver can get a night's sleep. Otherwise how would s/he have the stamina to keep caring for the patient?

This month is our 30th anni for our own biz -- just us 2, 24/7 homecare. Always work together as a team so we can spell each other and thus one of us is always fresh on-duty for the patient. Lots of hospice cases. Family does not have to juggle different CGs coming and going :)

We no longer call our services Live-In, however, because by the time a family calls us, the patient needs assistance at night. Either monitoring because of confusion, or medication reminding, or CBGs, or help to the bathroom because of fall risks, or turning q2รป, or skin integrity maintenance, or reassurance for anxiety, or trach suctioning, etc. We call it Work-In! :D

And that's 24-hr care, more expensive than "Live-In." After all, time is valuable, and one cannot actually sleep; only rest with senses alert for breathing changes, bells, sounds of pt trying to get up without notifying caregiver, etc.

Assisted Living, we have found, is not optimally appropriate for those patients with mobility, continence, or confusion issues, because their units have closed doors and they need to be able to ring for help -- and many of them no longer understand the safety need to alert their caregivers.

In any case, for homecare, be sure to get the Dr to order a homecare RN to oversee the patient and caregiving!

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Again, aides administering meds is dependent on each states law. Medicare certified Home care agencies WILL NOT ALLOW aides to administer meds as that is not permitted under PA laws. Only time med techs are permitted is in assited living/dome care homes. LPN must supervvise in assisted living care plan too. State law prohibits med tech in SNF and Hospitals.

In home care, meds must be prefilled in med planners or envelopes.

Above posters also offered good comment that if patient is up at night, 2-12hr staff would be necessary.

Hope your situation works out

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