raphaekg

My family is going to be traveling in July on a 5-day NY/New England/Canada cruise with my 87-year-old Dad. We all live in the NY area and will be departing directly from NYC. My dad will have his own wheelchair accessible room. Aside from some mobility issues, he is quite independent. (He has Parkinson's disease.)

We are looking for a travel aide who would be willing to share a room with my father, help him get ready in the morning and evening, etc. The aide would have the entire day free and would not be expected to join us for meals for activities.

Does anyone have experience with hiring someone for this type of situation? I have not been able to find a local agency experienced with this specific kind of situation. If you have, I welcome your advice and experience.

Dayenu

Do you know about Cruise Critic website? There is a "special needs" and "disabled travel" - maybe ask there?

raphaekg

Yes, I already posted there. Alas, no responses. Sounds like it would be a great business for somebody, if nobody already is doing it!

mcm76

Hi raphaekg

I can't work out how to private message you, maybe I can't do that on here. I think I might be able to help you if you are still looking for a solution. Can you drop me an email [email protected]

abram

It seems to me that it would be quite pricey, as you'd need to pay the cruise fare as well as a salary--the person would have to take almost a week off from their regular work and may not be able to afford doing that without pay.

As a social worker/geriatric care manager, I often arrange in-home help for my clients. Around here, a live-in caregiver (the most economical way to provide around the clock care) costs about $140/day, plus a $700 "finders' fee" to the agency.

You might contact a gcm (www.caremanager.org) in NYC to get some recommendations.

I've heard of an organization called (I think) Preferred Travel Helpers, but I don't know anything about them.