Tag Archives: personal care

So I finally was able to set my mom up with a personal care service, in addition to the home nurse visits. The personal care attendant was supposed to take my mom grocery shopping yesterday afternoon. Around noon, I was at work and received a call from a number that I did not recognize but with the same area code as where my mom lives.

I answered and it was the woman who runs the personal care agency. She said the attendant going to see my mom finished up a bit early with her previous call and she headed over to my mother’s house a bit early. But she knocked on the door multiple times and there was no response.

So of course I go into immediate panic mode in my head. Just like in those commercials, Mom’s fallen and she can’t get up!

I told the woman I would try calling her phone number and if she didn’t respond, there is a house key in a lockbox on the property.

I could feel my heart pounding with every ring on my mom’s line. Finally, Mom picked up. She sounded a little frazzled.

Turns out Mom was getting ready in the bathroom which has a loud heat vent. She couldn’t hear the knocking.

So Mom was okay, just a bit annoyed that the attendant was early … don’t mess with elderly people’s schedule! This is true also for those with dementia, any change of plans or a schedule can really upset them. It’s something many of us caregivers have learned the hard way.

It took a while for my heart rate to return to normal, but so grateful that it turned out to be a false alarm.

What kinds of false alarms have you experienced as a caregiver?