Hi there

I am a student from Scotland. I am doing a business degree and for my final project to recieve my degree, me and my group are constructing a business plan. our business idea is to create a service in which people can call and request us to help them with certain tasks from gardening, to shopping, cooking and so forth. You call a number and we will be there.
But what we really would like to know is the opinions of those who it matters to the most.
I'd love to hear opinions and what else you would like from such a service. Other tasks that would be helpful to you. And more importantly what you would be willing to pay for sucha service.
I really hope to hear from you all soon. I'd appreciate it so much.

Victoria Cowan

When my Mom was still at home she needed help with buying groceries and cooking meals for sure, and laundry seemed to be tough for her. I would pay someone anywhere from $10-15 and hour for this kind of job. I agree that you would possibly want to contract with a legal representative of the person and get paid up front for a short term - like week by week or something because getting money from older people can be hard and also they aren't always willing to admit they can't do it themselves no matter how obvious it is to everyone else. It would have to be a short term contract because these people's needs change so often. Good luck. I hope I get to see Scotland someday.

nynyk. i sounds great but i think for some the military would seem preferable. it certainly is a tough job. in a lot of schools kids have to put in anywhere from 60 hours to a semester of community service in order to graduate. guess how many choose the nursing homes or assisted living? lower, nope, lower, when you hit next to none you are very close. kids can't seem to deal with the reality that someday they too will be old or that life is too slow or the elderly aren't up on the coolest fashions and music. whatever, i can't get started.

Do you know that in Italy, instead of a year of military service, young people can do a year of civil service. A friend of mine spent his civil service year assisting a handicapped man. Instead of a business plan, would you consider drawing up a social policy plan? If all our graduating high school or college students contributed a year of civil service to the elderly, think how good that would be both for the young and the elderly and society as a whole?

Good luck to you. You know, it sounds like there should be a market but these are just the things that people are loathe to pay for, especially the elderly themselves. Usually, this kind of care or assistance would go through 2 more levels: the son/daughter of the elderly person and an agency.

Most people would do it themselves or hire a lawn care company to do basic maintenance if the elderly person is living in a house. I can't see a son/daughter paying $20/hour to have someone tend Mom's little flower garden with all the uncertainties looming about what she might need and what it might cost. I think people would just stock microwavable dinners rather than pay someone to cook, especially if its the son or daughter making that decision. Its not only cheaper but who wants to hear Mom complain that she didn't like the food someone cooked for her?

There would be layers of expense with training and certification and even getting a financial bond and background checks. The reason my mother needs daily attention is that she has to take her pills but on her own, she either won't remember to take them or if she had them in her residence, she'd take 2 out of the 6 or she'd take the full 6 several times in the same day. At an assisted living home, the charge just for dispensing pills is $12/day. But how do you charge for that in the kind of service you're thinking about? Would you need someone with nursing training to do that?

Sorry to be so negative. In the last year and a half since my mother was diagnosed with dementia and I've been looking after her on a daily basis, I've thought a lot about this aspect of what it should cost to care for an elderly person.

Hello there. I love Scotland!! I will be visiting your fine country next month.

I was a former caregiver to my father. Caregiving is expensive and can run about $1,600US a month. What would be ideal is if someone could have come to the house, watch and provide breakfast for my father, drive him to the day care center and then pick him up in the late afternoons.

I would gladly pay about $15-$20US per hour for this service.