Weekend Companion for Elderly Grandmother

I don’t have experience in this area, but I’d start with her nursing home. Perhaps someone she’s already comfortable with would be willing to take this on as an after-hours job? Or they may be able to recommend a reputable company? I can’t imagine this is something insurance would cover in any capacity but I could be wrong!

When my grandmother was in a Nursing home we hired one of her regular caregivers to come to an out of state reunion with her. We paid for the flight, lodging, food, and her regular salary.

It worked out wonderfully because it was someone that grandma already knew and trusted.

My mom was in a residential care home when my nephew got married. She needed someone with her full-time due to some severe cognitive issues and limited mobility following a stroke. Physically, it was too much for me (or any of us) to handle. We hired two of the caregivers from her home to accompany her to the wedding. The wedding took place 1.5-2 hrs away from her care home, and I think the ceremony began around 5 pm. They drove her down and arrived about an hour before the ceremony. (She was wheelchair bound.) They brought her to my family's hotel room and changed her into the pretty pantsuit we had bought for her to wear. The ceremony was only about a block away, but they drove her there in the wheelchair accessible van. She and her caregivers sat at the table with most of my siblings and I and our spouses, so there were a lot of familiar people around her (and we all knew her caregivers pretty well). All of the MOB's friends knew our mom quite well, so many of them came over to greet her. I'm not sure she really understood who they all were, but she seemed to enjoy the attention and interaction immensely. She tired quickly though, and by 7:30 or 8, she was more than ready to go. The caregivers drove her back home that night, and we stopped by to see her late the next day when we got home from our overnight stay for the wedding. Unfortunately, her condition quickly deteriorated in the couple weeks following the wedding, and she passed away less than a month later (from a host of long-term medical issues, we never thought attending the wedding contributed to or hastened her death). That was more than 10 years ago, and we are still really happy we did all we could to get her to that wedding -- we all have wonderful memories and great pictures.... I don't remember the exact amount, but I'm sure I paid the caregivers several hundred dollars each (it was at least an 8 hour "shift" with the driving, etc.,) and it was money well spent!

This is a photo of her taken at the reception -- despite her pretty severe physical and mental challenges, she was clearly so very happy to be there! Good luck!

View Quoted Comment

That's awesome! I'm glad you were able to work with folks she was comfortable with. One of the issues I'm running into is my grandma can't remember the names of any of her nurses! I'm hoping talking to her social worker or someone else at the facility can help give me a direction.

View Quoted Comment

This is such a beautiful story! And very similar to my situation. I'm starting to think that maybe an overnight isn't necessary, especially if she heads out before the music gets very loud.

Was there any kind of agreement or contract you used for the caregivers from her home?

Nothing written, it was all just verbal. She was in a really wonderful situation, it was a residential house modified & licensed for 6 residents. There were always two caregivers on duty, and there were two, a man and a woman, who we really adored -- they were so good with my mom. I talked with the owner of the home (he had a total of four homes in close proximity, so he had a fairly large staff) and explained what we were hoping could be done. He thought it would be doable and that my mom would really enjoy it. He talked with the two staff members to see if they were willing, and, thankfully, they were happy to do it. The owner just made sure they weren't scheduled to work that day/weekend, and I paid them the agreed upon amount in cash (with the owner/their employer's full knowledge). Ours was a unique situation because it was a small facility rather than a huge/corporate one. However, the social worker at your grandma's place should be able to help you identify options. Good luck! I truly hope you can make it happen; like I said, we all have great memories from that night!