Elder Care Job in Portland, Oregon

Hello, My name is Angela, and my 75 year old grandma's name is Ethel. She is by far one of the most sweet, loving and hardworking individuals that I have ever known. She has faced quite a number of challenges throughout her life, ranging from being hit by a car in a crosswalk to a heart valve transplant (among other battles!). Throughout everything, she has remained so high-spirited and happy. Recently, on November 29, 2016 my grandma underwent an extensive 12 hour surgery to remove, replace, and reconstruct her tongue with a part of her forearm. She had Stage 3 Tongue cancer, which had returned after nearly 13 years of remission. Luckily, the surgeons and their staff were able to remove the cancer completely, and has since been on a long road to recovery. I moved back from my current residence in Maryland to help take care of her through the most extensive parts of her recovery process. She is to the point where she able to use the restroom and clean herself on her own, and she has been working on her ability to talk which is improving each and every day. The only thing she is now struggling with, is her ability to eat. Currently, she cannot have anything by mouth and this may be a more long-term issue. She is on tube feedings overnight, as well as receiving her vital medications via her PEG tube. While I am confident she can set up her tube feeding on her own, the medications can be a bit tricky as some do not completely dissolve. I've perfected a method of administering her medications that minimizes any blockages, however they do still occur every once in a while (but again, I've also got a method for this as well). My concern is that this may be difficult for her to do on her own, so I would like to find someone to come and help her with this. The job would entail the following: Arriving at her Portland home between 5:30am-6:30am every morning, and between 5:30pm-6:30pm to administer her twice-daily medication It takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. The pills need to be pulverized and mixed with 60mL of warm water, along with a banana flake and yogurt mixture after the medications are given. The packet and 2oz of yogurt would also be mixed with 60mL of warm water. The medication and mixture both need to be administered slowly to prevent her from any nausea. After this is done, flushing her PEG tube with 30mL of water would complete her care. Then cleanup of the supplies to use for the next time. We as a family are aware that your time is valuable, and understand that what we are offering to pay per day does not mean we expect you to stay and keep her company or anything extra outside of this job. My grandma is currently on Long-term Medical Leave, so financially we can't afford a whole lot. The amount for the position would be paid at a rate of $70/week. With the amount of time per week being about 3.5 hours, this means the rate of pay is equal to $20/hour. We will have a back-up person (most likely my mother) for her to rely on in case of any illness or other issue arises where you are unable to come assist with administering medications. I will be returning to Maryland on February 11, possibly to be returning again in July for a while, but for now I would like to hire someone permanently for this position (or until she is able to swallow again). Also, I would like to hire someone for this position before I leave. I would like for whomever applies to be close in proximity to her home, timely, trustworthy, and have a great bedside manner. Experience with tube feeding and medication administering is preferred, however I am willing to train the right individual. We look forward to hearing from any applicants that think this job would be the right fit! Regards, Angela