Meet Shelby, My New Live-In

Houston. We have a live-in. That's right, I am pleased to announce that I have hired a live-in caregiver. She starts on July 1. Shelby is from PEI, has trained as an HCA, and wants to come out west for a while. She's young, only 19, but this may be a real advantage. She comes with few complications, a willingness to do the job, and the enthusiasm of youth. It could be very good for me.

This, of course, will mean some changes, and some challenges, in my life. The biggest challenge will be the one I have feared all along, the financial challenge. We are skinning this cat close; I'll be running a deficit of only $14 a month. The real challenge will be in feeding a youngster on $300 a month. On top of that will be my own food costs and other expenditures. Having a live-in by no means offers any financial benefit to me; quite the opposite.

With that said, dismissing any other challenges is easy. This situation is definitely a win for me in so many ways, from flexibiity of care, consistency of care to increased activity and more "getting out". David is going to put Shelby on the van as an additional driver. That means I will have a driver during my days anytime I need one. It means I will have someone to help me get in and out of the doors downstairs, someone to help with laundry on a steady basis, another pupil for my cooking instructions.

For her, I admit right now the money is not great. On the other hand her work hours are very flexible and she will have no living costs beyond the $400 for room and board. There will certainly be more household costs, beyond food, Those are all in for her, things like electricity, laundry soap, toiletries, and all that. Then there will be the adventure. David and I are already planning a trip to Vancouver next month, and another trip later this summer. With Shelby along, those things become possible.

This is going to be a wonderful new chapter to my life with ALS. Things are looking up.