Latest Breaking News

My mother is 88. She lives at home by herself. She's mentally fine, but has mobility issues and has had several falls. She has what we call "helpers", and they have all been great, but the bulk of the responsibility falls on my sister who is the only family member who lives in state (an hour away) and has to constantly drive back and forth, handle bills, cable TV issues, phone, etc. I will be making my third cross country trip since May because we will all be taking a road trip and my sister can't (and shouldn't have to) do it alone, but it's difficult.

And our situation is not all that bad. I wish there was some sort of (decently paid) kind of model where there could be a network of caregivers who fell somewhere between family and medical - people who can fix meals, help liase with cable companies or drug stores, make sure the lawn is mowed, laundry is done, and so on.

What we need is a network of people who can do these tasks, who can make a living at it, who are good at it, and - importantly - enjoy the job and have enough backup that there is low stress.