[(JD)]

After 24 years of disability, I have finally received authorization to hire a personal care attendant/assistant 8 hours a week!

There is an abundance of resources on the internet, and I'm availing myself of them. I've chosen to do my own hiring, as there is no one company that will provide all what I need. Plus, I have issues about strangers in my home.
I already have someone I trust who is coming Tuesday for the first time.

Those of you reading who have or have had in-home assistance can surely give me tips...you may have something very important that I'm overlooking.

The cost of housekeepers alone is about $43. an hour, and now I need someone for that plus all the personal assistance items. I'm only offering $30 an hour to start...but know that it will have to go up once she's in full swing. Do I go ahead and pay her full scale now, so the insurance company doesn't get set on the lower fee? I'll be moving soon, and this attendant won't be going with me... and I will be moving to a more expensive place to live..and fees will be higher.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

[Perna]

If they're going to pay, I'd give the assistant the most you can right off unless it's a cash flow problem. You don't have anyone you know/talk to among the insurance people?

If you are worried about whether she'll be good or not, I'd only have her, say 4-6 hours at first and that will give you a sense of if she'll be good enough but she'll still be getting the max wages per hour so if you have to let her go and get another before you move, you can get someone that does work out for the 8 hours without jeopardizing the cost they'll reimburse?

Don't forget that even though you know her, etc. it will still be a stress on you to have her come in and get use to having an assistant, etc. so fewer hours at first might help you keep your strength as you try this something new?

Good luck! Sounds great.

[Ascension]

I unfortunately don't have any advice to offer but I am glad that you have been given approval for the additional help. I hope it all works out well for you.

[Grithnir]

I have a personal care assistant and it is free for the time being, unless my state or the government of the USA falls apart, so I am hoping it doesn't. They shuffled people in and out until they sent an amazing woman that is very close to me now. She only gets paid $8 an hour from her service provider and is 65. I try to make it easier for her to clean up after my roomate and myself, and we just had a cooking problem. Now I have gained ten pounds thanks to her, for better or worse, she cooks great meals. The house is clean, I am less worried and my family calls my disability a weakness of spirit and life of luxury off the government even though they live in large houses and have yards and can buy a new car whenever they want. They are a great irritation but the personal care assistant and me have poverty in common so it is a great chemistry. She loves the disabled and I think of her as an angel with a lot of wisdom that comes with age.

I would look into state medicaid programs that offer personal care assistants and not pay that exhobortant amount of money. We barely need her 8 hours a week. It runs about 7-8 hours a week, four days a week to cook and clean our apartment. The rest of the time we talk and smoke, as I have nine and she wants the hours and that's part of their job to offer company. I couldn't have asked for anything better from the government because I was not trained in vacuuming, cooking and all of this business when I was little but I feel more prepared for it if they ever cut the services because of budget shortalls.

[(JD)]

Thanks for replies, I do appreciate all of them.

I live in Miami FL area, and even just hiring house cleaning companies cost $43 an hour for one (of course they send 2 and you have to pay for at least 2 hours...something like $170 for 4 man hours ) They charge something like .03 cents a square foot of your home... and they would charge me even more because I need extending cleaning like the patio and garage, and they won't do laundry, cook, run errands etc.
My disability insurance is picking up the tab...and if they balk at $30 an hour I'll show them how much more they will pay if I have to hire two or three different companies....?

But they'll balk anyway because that's what they do...and they know how expensive it is, that's why they refused to continue to pay all those years!

[Perna]

Call this guy, see if he has any "extras" :-)

http://miami.backpage.com/DomesticJo...Ad?oid=7930156

[shezbut]

Wow Sky!

I cannot believe the cost. It's overwhelming. I am lucky to have these services provided to me by my county.

I'd imagine that you've already tried for county assistance, but do not qualify due to assets or something. Is that right?

Anyway ~ I do have a PCA come twice a week to help with various tasks. The PCA can help with whatever, but my need is cognitive (recall, understanding, keeping on track...). I have a tendency to become overwhelmed and then my brain won't keep moving. The PCA then breaks things down to small levels. Keeps me in a small area, working on just one thing at a time, then moving onto the next task. I guess that's how I would describe the assistance. She can also take me to stores and keep me on task for shopping. That's my personal experience.

Best wishes to you!

[(JD)]

Yeah it's pretty steep here.
I don't qualify -nor will I ever - for SSDI or county services. I might be able to obtain something through my exes' SS at some point

I paid her $25 hour and put her "on probation" for a few weeks to see if it works out for both of us.
She did two hours for me and then decided to leave. If I didn't know her, I'd think she took something and wanted out ROFL My bad.
She pulled up the throw rugs in the rooms so she could sweep and mop but then forgot to put them down. ugh. And she forgot to sweep or mop in the master bedroom. Oh well. What she did complete looks good!

But she can't come more often, so I will have to try and lure the younger lady who helped me put stuff into storage, away from her free babysitting for her sister. I didn't entice her with any pay, but had paid her $10 hour just to load the storage unit. She turned that down (in her mind) to watch her sister's kids for free? Hmm and I thought she was saving money to get her citizenship soon, and to travel to her SA home this year.
Ok, I won't judge. I know she works as a waitress tonight..and is off tomorrow. I need to drag out and go talk with her. Maybe I'll buy something to eat?

Oh... I saw the new doctor ... a physiatrist! She might actually be a real one (doctor that is, and not an insurance Wh**e.)
She doesn't get it yet, but in 45 minutes there's no way she could.
She thinks all I need to do is "just"... I tend to zone out when I hear that word. She doesn't understand my cognitive shortcomings ... even though I mentioned mild brain damage and ptsd.



Thanks for the replies!