Can I share some calls that are a good example of the kind of calls we get almost daily? “Thank you for calling Home Instead. This is Kathy speaking.” 

“Hi, my dad has ALS. He lives all by himself and needs help. Hospice comes for an hour every morning but that is not enough. He is getting worse. What can you do for us?”

“My mom is on hospice. She has congestive heart failure and stage 4 kidney failure. She fell and broke her leg, went into the hospital and found out that she has COVID. Then we all got tested and we all have it so we can’t even go see her. They are talking of discharging her, but we can’t take care of her needs. Can you do 24/7?”

“My mother keeps bouncing from ICU to rest home and back again. She is tired of it and really wants to come home, but we all live so far away and can’t help her much. Can you tell me what we can do about her suffering? Who decides when it is time for her to die? If my dog was going through what she is, we would put it to sleep. Do I have to watch her suffer like this?”

“My dad is dying. He only has a few weeks to live. Hospice comes in the morning, but we need erom. My mother has dementia and doesn’t understand what’s happening. We need 24/7. What can you do?”

These were a few of the calls that I answered in one 24-hour period. So, when we keep asking if you know anyone who would like to work for us, or if you can work extra shifts or travel a little outside your comfort zone, it is due to these calls. Because most of the time we have to tell them we can’t help. And it breaks my heart every single time.