Why Not Au Pairs for the Elderly?
We just posted an article from the New York Post on Au Pairs and the Elderly. The idea of hiring au pairs to care for our aging parents is not a new idea that has been considered by some au pair agencies and elder care programs.
John Crudele from the Post strongly objects to our government's bias over how Washington treats young families in comparison to our elderly. He makes an excellent point that for the same amount of money we pay for an au pair, we can pay the same affordable $7.00 an hour (or $347 a week or $18,000 a year) for an au pair to come and live with our ailing mother instead of $70,000 a year or more in a nursing home!
So, why not hire au pairs to care for our elderly? Great idea, right?
Our aging parents can stay in the comfort and security of their homes and stay out of crowded nursing facilities where most residents have to share a small room! Families save thousands of dollars a year! It is a win-win situation. However, as Mr. Crudele points out, the J-1 Visa only applies to au pairs who join "cultural exchange programs," to "experience" American culture during their year abroad, where in reality, they provide inexpensive childcare to working parents.
Too bad Congress cannot rewrite the immigration laws to include our ailing seniors so the Sandwich Generation receives much needed financial relief on both ends of the care spectrum - many Baby Boomers are struggling to provide care for both children and ailing parents (who may not have the necessary monies to remain independent in their own homes). Nursing home costs are rising and at one facility in NJ, the current 2009 cost is $9000 a month! Outrageous!
What do you think? Would you consider hiring an "au pair" to live and care for your aging parent?
I for one, would like that option very much. I think they would do a very good job indeed, but I would suggest that there be a separate program for this group. Perhaps they would be called something else (Elder Care Provider?) and this group would understand the Elder Program would include a "cultural exchange" where they would experience American culture, and all that this offers, but the primary focus would be on the care of seniors: providing companionship and supervision. Seniors could stay in their homes - also, having a young person about would keep them "mentally sharp" and active.
What about the duties of the Elder Care Provider from abroad? Pretty much the same responsibilities our au pairs do now: driving, doctor's appointments, shopping, laundry, tidying up, meal preparation. Training in basic elder care could be given, as well as first aid and CPR.
We would love to hear your opinions!
To read the entire article from the New York Post, click Au Pairs for the Elderly?
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Comments
great idea
Edina, this is a very interesting idea and I think that it would be a great program for seniors, I read mark gaulter's response and I think this would be great for them to have this program in place! They would do a great job since they are very focused on customer service.
I have an elderly mother in florida and it causes me great anxiety to know there is no help at all unless I pay over 25 dollars an hour for an aide (who I don't know and I know is not supervised very well). An elder program would be so great - I can only hope and pray they (our government) can do something along these lines.
Is there anything the public can do to encourage this?
Vice President of Au Pair Care Weighs In On Elder Care Program
Hi Edina,
The Department of State has not yet created an Elder Care program and I don’t have any information as to if they are currently seriously considering this option.
If this were to become a program in the future, AuPairCare and our parent company Intrax would definitely consider supporting this type of program.
Hope your new year is off to a great start.
Sincerely,
Heidi Woehl
AuPairCare Live-in Childcare
Heidi Woehl || Vice President
Phone: 415-434-5517
Fax: 415-434-5415
Email:hwoehl@aupaircare.com
http://www.aupaircare.com
Au Pair Care is the leading au pair agency in the nation. See host parents' ratings of this top agency and why they are our Top Number One Pick for 2009.
Great idea!
I love this idea! Some friends and I were actually discussing this the other day - and thought this would be a great option. I wonder what can be done to get J-1 visas for elder care? One of my former au pairs is now working in a nursing home in her home country, and loving it. Why not let someone experienced come back and live with an elderly family member here? Love the idea... now how do we get something changed?
Au Pair Agency in Ireland Has Au Pair Program for Seniors
We found an au pair agency, www.aupairstudy.com, that is already providing au pairs for senior citizens. They explain their program here:
Traditionally, Au Pairs are foreign students who work for families in exchange for room, board, pocket money and practising their English. Now however we offer not only Au Pair for children but Au Pairs for seniors. This is an Au Pair who would have much the same duties as an Au Pair for children however, in this case they would provide companionship for an elderly person. It is a non-medical, in-home care option for seniors, who need assistance with daily living.
We are an agency that provides assistance, companionship and informal care and help. Our objective is to provide an affordable alternative to very expensive alternatives. We do not provide resident nursing care. Our helpers are on the whole not medically qualified and are mainly live in. This service is best suited for people who have less acute needs and do not require specialist care and would rather remain in their own home than taking up permanent residence in a residential or nursing home.
We specialise in live – in care only however if you have any other requirements please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you (this may involve a waiting list)
They do have a long waiting list already, underscoring the popularity of the program. If Europe has figured out how to do this, perhaps Americans can too!
Edina
CEO of Expert Au Pair Supports the Idea of Senior-Care Program
We contacted several of the au pair agencies to find out what their position is on the idea of elder care. Mark Gaulter, CEO of Expert Au Pair, sent us this response:
We have certainly seen a demand for a senior care program. Properly organized, the program would expand the options available to those with aging relatives, and would correspondingly increase the quality of life for many American seniors.
If a senior care program were implemented in a way that facilitated true cultural exchange, there is little doubt that we would apply to be designated as a sponsor. The program would be fundamentally different from the au pair program, and a new training program would have to be developed, and new office staff with senior-care expertise would be needed.
However, the au pair program is a cultural exchange program. Precisely how to ensure meaningful exchange in a senior-care program would be the subject of debate, and this means we cannot unequivocably support the idea of a senior-care program at present. The au pair program supports true cultural exchange -- au pairs live as part of an American family, and almost always return home with more positive views of the United States as a result of their interactions. But if, for example, an exchange visitor were living with a senior with deteriorating mental health, and if they were alone with that person, they would be unlikely to have the same level of interaction with their host as they would as an au pair. Any senior-care program would also likely have to ensure that foreign nationals were not the only care-givers, because the number of hours worked per week should be reasonable.
To conclude, then, we see the benefit of a senior-care program -- and indeed programs for adults with special needs -- but we believe that there are issues to consider before any such proposal would be viable.
--
Mark Gaulter
CEO, Expert AuPair
111 Second Avenue NE, Suite 303
St Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 388-3472
Fax: (727) 231-8256
Thank you Mr. Gaulter for your response! Expert Au Pair is one of the leading agencies in the country and was rated by host parents as the Number Two au pair agency in our Top Three Picks of 2009.
Interesting idea...
Hmm, I think that this is an interesting idea, but it might be difficult to actually put into practice. Some of the issues I see are:
* I think that it would only work for elderly people who are living with family members, not those who live on their own. Otherwise, I think there would be a big problem with people exceeding the 45 hour limit (or whatever different hourly limit was set for elder care). If there aren't other adults who come "on duty" outside of those 45 hours, there's not really any way to ensure that the "elder care provider" gets the required amount of off duty time. As we all know (or should know), even time that our au pairs spend caring for our children when they are asleep counts toward the 45 hours/week, 10 hours/day limits, so wouldn't they essentially be "on duty" 24 hours a day if they were caring for an elderly person who lived alone? But then as a related issue, if the program was limited to families who had their older relatives living with them, how many such families would also have an additional private bedroom for the au pair? There might be a very limited universe of families that would actually qualify for the program, which might mean it's not worthwhile for Congress to change the laws or agencies to add a new program.
* If we're truly talking about elderly people who would otherwise be in a nursing home (as opposed to an "assisted living facility," where the residents are still more-or-less independent), they would probably require more specialized care than most au pairs are able to provide. Patients who live in nursing homes require help with bathing, dressing, toileting, medications, etc. If all that the person requires is driving, tidying up, meal prep, etc., they would not need to be in a nursing home anyway, so the cost comparison to a nursing home isn't an appropriate comparison. There's also the issue that the person's needs may change rather rapidly over the course of a year, so someone who starts out needing just companionship and some basic assistance may end up needing more skilled care than an au pair is qualified or able to provide. I think that could lead to a lot of rematches, which could make the program less attractive to au pairs.
As I said, I do think that it's an interesting idea, but I'm just not sure how (or if) it would actually work in practice. I'll be interested in hearing other people's thoughts and ideas on this!
It can be done
I used to be a registered nurse and yes, this program can work. You would have to develop a different program of course, that specifically meets the needs of the senior population. I also think au pairs can be placed in the homes without the family in residence.
This program would be most useful for those seniors who can function pretty well in their homes, but are on the "cusp' of needing more care: medication; shopping and meal preparation. And, driving, which is a huge issue for seniors! Most seniors, who lost a spouse, really stop preparing meals and their health overall can be adversely affected! These au pairs should be able to shop and prepare meals and one hot meal a day at least for the senior they care for.
Of course, they would have to be trained for all of this, but it is not difficult at all and if you find a group of young people (who should be older than 19) interested in geriatics, this is a great business niche for the au pair agencies!
Our senior population will explode in the next decade, as aging baby boomers reach their 70s and 80s. They will want to stay in their homes and be independent as long as possible and with the economic downturn, college expenses, and the loss of stock holdings, these baby boomers will not have the money for expensive assisted living residences! I know, as I am a baby boomer myself and my pension plan and stock holdings took a very bad hit and my home is worth less than half it did 5 years ago!
I would hire one for my mom
I love this idea! I would seriously consider hiring an Elder Care au pair for my mom, she is 89, walks with a walker, and does not drive (we took her keys away last year after a minor accident). So, now, in her own home, we have to run over there several times a week, to make sure she is okay, and to bring in the groceries. We also have to do some cooking for her as well. This is a lot of work for me. She should be in an assisted living but has no money. Her home, if we would sell it, would not cover the costs of an assisted living beyond 1 year!
With an au pair in the home, she could run errands and help my mom go to her appointments, hair dresser, doctor, bingo every friday night! She would also be a companion for my mom who gets very lonely. She is now on antidepressants and we are worried that she may not be taking them on a regular schedule, and this kind of "au pair" could remind her daily to take her meds.
Of course, this type of au pair would be different than the girls we hire now for childcare. I would suggest they:
As for the 45 hour a week limit rule, if the elder care au pair is older, you may not have to follow that rule, but I also think that there would be criteria for the seniors who would qualify for this program too:
Great idea, really - and much needed for those seniors in that in between stage where they can stay in their home and don't need a nursing home yet but do not drive and need someone around to help out and provide companionship and supervision.