A Free Premium Membership Weekend to Find Help at Care.com

I have been spending the last few days at Care.com checking out the free premium membership offerings that are available this weekend. It starts off at midnight pacific time Friday, April 24th and goes through this weekend.

I had heard of www.care.com but honestly I never really knew what the site was about. I am glad I had the opportunity to explore this site in detail because what I found was very organized search options for finding special needs care.

As the parent to two teens on the autism spectrum I require someone with related experience pertaining to behavior, feeding, communication, stimming, bathing/grooming and hygiene. I prefer them to have their own transportation and to be a non-smoker.

Your search can be limited to availability on short notice, various age groups, individual or company, hourly rate, age of caregiver, mileage from the home, disability and key words.

The initial search for someone to care for special needs has a drop down box with disabilities that include:

ADHD
Aspergers
Asthma
Autism
Blindness/Visual Impairment
Celiac
Cerebral Palsy
Down Syndrome
Epilepsy
Food Allergies
Fragile X
Seizure Disorder
Sensory Integration Disorder
Speech Delay
Tourette Syndrome


The next step is to input your zipcode and choose the mileage in five mile increments from 1-50. There will be a list in the middle of the page with results showing ten possible caregivers per page. This list can be changed according to age, name, city, experience, distance, membership length and refine the search. I have done this several times, changing the distance and the care service experience.

In all honesty it can be a bit overwhelming to see all the options to find someone to assist in the care of the special needs child. The profile pages of the caregivers contains all sorts of data at your fingertips.

I searched using "autism" in the keyword and also wanted to only see profiles of members with a photo and who had logged in within the last two weeks. This can also be last week or last month. I specified wanting experience with teens. This has the age range of 12-17. Another option here is if they are comfortable with pets. This I did not check off since we only have a cat.

The general information in this refined search has drop down boxes for the provider's age, gender, language and hourly rate. I left the default "any" for provider age, gender and hourly rate on all my special needs searches. I specified for housekeeping female only.

Some of the options for care service experience you can search include:

Assistive Technology/AAC
Behavior - Applied Behavior Analysis
Brushing Protocol
Epi Pen Injections
G Tubes
Respiratory Care
Sign Language
Stimming Attendance

There is also a willing to learn section - if that box is checked the caregiver is open to learning new skills. Under other services the options cover - medical transport, errands, shopping, laundry, meal preparation and housekeeping. There is another box for choosing part or full time plus live-in or out.

I really limited my results when I chose AAC and stimming, which left me with no one. Once I changed my search choices I found 6 caregivers within my categories. Their profiles had some interesting information for me to limit my choices even further.

At the profile of the caregivers I saw the last time they logged in, their reviews if any, their certifications, their background check - which is a verification of their social security number and a national criminal records search. You need to apply to obtain this information if it is readily available at their profile. The reviews are also available in audio. I found one profile that had one waiting for approval.

The profile has their name, age, years of experience, hourly rate, availability, response to messages, ratings, diagnosis experience, specific care experience, additional options, qualifications, education, language. There is a check mark indicating experience. The chart lists all days of the week and time frames with checks for openings.

What really caught my eye was not responding to all messages as I found some that had 50% listed there. I was quite interested in the blurb the caregivers used to describe themselves. I would think of this like the opening paragraph of a resume. The remarks by some had nothing to do with caring for special needs or their terms used were not appropriate.

I would prefer someone with CPR, First Aid for their qualifications. One of the choices in my search had let these expire but was willing to take them. I was surprised at this statement as I would rather someone want to do this on their own to speed up the hiring process.

There are green tabs at the top of each profile so you can switch over to child care, tutoring, pet care, housekeeping and senior care. These are all dependant on what the specified caregiver is interested in providing at www.care.com. One profile I read had housekeeping and tutoring while some others just had child care and special needs.

The other options in the green tabs is the contact to send a message, reviews to read, background check, videos and your notes on this profile. The notes are for your eyes only.

I like that there is a page for me that shows my messages, my stats, care exchanges, my jobs, my favorites and my profile and settings. When I logged back into the site my messages were at the home page for me to review. My stats showed that I sent 3 messages and received 1 reply, plus that I had logged in five times. I have two profiles in my favorites and two emails. When the background check was approved by the caregiver for me to access I received an email.

The care exchange is a way for caregivers to get service from other members/caregivers. I uploaded a profile picture and my settings allowed for me to receive listings of new members in my area and for weekly care tips and advice.

While in the special needs section at the main page for the initial search I noticed this was also an area for articles. I did not see anything pertaining to autism at the present time.

I received an email with profiles showing all new members in my location. I contacted two for special needs with specifics for summer help to go to a conference. The one reply said she is a college student and not sure her summer schedule yet. I also contacted one person in regard to Housekeeping. That is also an extensive search. I utilized bathroom, kitchen, windows and refrigerator cleaning for my housekeeping search.

They also have oven cleaning, attic or basement cleaning, pet cleanup, plant care, house sitting, laundry, dishes, cabinet cleaning. Too bad they did not have painting, but they did have wall cleaning, which is something a family with a child on the autism spectrum can surely use.

I rent the stove and refrigerator and would like to get my own refrigerator, so this is something of interest. I asked in my email how long it would take to do this type of job and what it entailed.

The hourly rates for special needs varied from $10-15 all the way to almost $50 per hour. The housekeeping was less expensive. I am looking forward to finding someone to meet my two search requests. The summer camp wants parents to go to a group orientation in June and children are not allowed. I need to find someone for a few hours one evening. Also every August is an autism conference on a Saturday and Sunday. I am waiting to see the schedule and considering going if I can find someone to watch my sons for about 6 hours one day.

I do have respite care through the Regional Center here in California, they pay very low and there is a revolving door. I have a problem with them not speaking English clearly and am hoping the results will be rewarding through Care.com.

I hope these details are helpful to other autism families, as well as other special needs so that you will sign up for the free premium membership this weekend to find care. We all need to take care of ourselves, an evening out for dinner, the movies, a concert, a day spa are all something to consider when you find the right caregiver at www.care.com.

Mother's Day is a few weeks away while summer is just around the corner. Maybe you need the house cleaned up, the dog taken for walks while away for a few days or at work long hours, or someone to assist with some light chores or child care.

I suggest taking advantage of the FREE Premium Weekend at www.care.com. I liked the layout and options so much that I am considering offering services in the fall to other families of special needs kids for mornings or senior care to help out another caregiver that may need a few hours break.

I hope to see you at www.Care.com

Housing Options for Autism Families

I enjoy watching House Hunters on HGTV, which airs nightly at 10 PM. Sometimes my 13 year old son Nicholas catches the show as well. We have dreams of moving out of this duplex house we have now rented for over ten years. I regularly peruse Cragislist, Westside Rentals and Mobile Home Village to check new listings.

We cannot live in an apartment or condo. That would mean four neighbors to deal with and having to endure listening to Matthew running across the rooms, banging walls and screaming. Amenities like pool, fireplace, deck, patio and french doors would have to be avoided.

I need to have parking, tired of the street hassles for a space near the house. An on-site laundry room or at least a hook-up would be necessary. Trying to deal with laundry during school holiday times and vacations are not easy. Due to my skin issues with my severe eczema it is essential that I get a dishwasher. Also the bathroom must have a window and fan vent. This will help when giving Matthew baths and starting the toilet training.

We also need a fenced yard and preferably central air conditioning. For many years now I have paid a rental fee to my landlord for the stove and refrigerator, probably paying for appliances two times during this period. I would like a shower that has the sliding door and a garbage disposal for the kitchen sink.

The neighbors next door have their grown sons living theere for many years. It is like a pot festival coming through my windows. Today when the bus arrived my front yard was a stench bucket from them. Earlier in the day our kitchen had smells from the other neighbor. My son Nicholas had problems with his eyes and throat.

I am tired of living at this dump, but there are not many options for us. I also want to try to buy a mobile home by the time I am 50, which is under two years. It is a long term goal that most likely will not get met, but a dream nonetheless.

Nicholas has a dream of living in his own apartment with his cat Junior and another companion animal. He wants to drive a truck and not get married or have kids. I am trying to teach him about finances and what a struggle it is to pay bills and have anything left over.

It would be nice someday to share a house with another autism family and have the street or community consist of families with kids who have special needs. Safety for everyone and living where neighbors know what your life is like and can offer support in many ways.

Ideas for the Autism Community

I have lots of ideas floating through my mind and try to make note of them to share with other families who have kids on the Autism Spectrum. One of the reasons why I have wanted to branch out from my writing at the Autism Spectrum Disorders site for BellaOnline is to get feedback and start discussions with others. The site does not have a comment section, although there is a forum. I am in awe of the comment sections on blogs that I peruse around the net, and would like to have a similar rapport with readers while connecting to new families within the autism community.

1. Cooking Show - A previous idea of mine was for a Food Network showto help families implement a diet. I think I need to do more than just write an article to have my idea spotted by someone official at the Food Network or any other one for that matter. I would like to see a show that embarks on the gluten free and casein free diet and cover celiac disease. They could also have a forum at the website with sharing of recipes and the stores that cater to this population.

2. Dating site - Several years ago I submitted an idea to Match.com to incorporate a separate section for single parents of special needs kids. I guess that idea bombed since nothing ever came of it and I have yet to see a similar site online. It would be nice to see a dating site that focuses on the children and activities that potential connections can do together with their children or teens.

3. Traveling Hair Salon - I came up with this idea a few years ago after seeing a Portable Pet Grooming Van down the street. I believe they live nearby and are always heading out on another call. It looks like a booming business. So I started thinking what about kids with autism who cannot tolerate having their haircut at the salon with all those distractions. There needs to be a calm setting for this task with an overview of autism shared with hair stylists.

I even considered contacting Jonathan Antin from Blow Out that aired a few seasons on Bravo. I was a big fan and thought why not a reality show on setting up a specialty hair salon for autism families in Beverly Hills. I am in Los Angeles and could take part, volunteering my child for an opportunity at a decent haircut instead of the usual butcher jobs I create.

I am open to having a portable salon come to my house where my child can go and sit in a relaxing chair and obtain a new look. If that is not possible specialty shops for the autism community is another possibility. I also pitched my suggestions to two clinics we received floor time therapy at asking them to create a room for just haircuts. Both were open to the idea, but did not pursue further. I am all about strategizing and marketing, just need to present my ideas to the right people so we can get these into the communities that desire and need them to meet their needs and this demand that has not been touched yet.

4. Community Living - I have been a member of Co-Abode for a long time with a profile up. This is known as Single Mothers House Sharing. I want to take that a step further and have a special community or households where families with those on the autism spectrum live amongst one another.

It would be so nice to have a large Victorian type home that has a level for two different families to live. There would be no one complaining about the noise level in the home and there would be an extra set of eyes and ears that comprehends autism spectrum disorders. Respite or child care is another area where families lack appropriate help. Having some households in the same neighborhood with children of special needs would really help families gain a sense of community.

5. Meetups - I am waiting for a group at MeetUp.com that does not gather on weekends or nights that I can take part in. It would be nice to have meetings where we share about recent news on the topic of autism, do a book club, share resources and relax. Most importantly is being able to bring along those who are on the spectrum. One group for all age groups to participate in. This will help the newly diagnosed families gain insights from the experienced parents that have been there before.

I had an idea back in 2003 where I wanted to share picture cards and ideas for PECS for my nonverbal son. I imagined a group similar to a book club or coupon swap. I wanted it to be held once a week or month in a location where velcro could be shared and access to a laminator for making it a working club like women sitting around knitting and chatting, but the focus would be on learning new ideas for picture communication systems for those who are nonverbal and rely on other means to communicate their wants and needs.

I decided on a PECS club and created the yahoo group MakingPECSCards. I implemented Round Robin packages where we share our extra supplies that consist of CDs, books, social stories and cards to participants around the US and Canada. Some have left the group with packages causing us to rebound with new supplies.

I am hopeful that one day I will have a little group of parents in a setting where we can make picture card schedules for our kids and learn from one another.

Autism Super Centers

An Introduction to Autism Family Adventures

I have been writing online since January of 2000, starting at Epinions. In June of 2005 I became the Editor at http://autismspectrumdisorders.bellaonline.com site at BellaOnline. I also did a spin at the Insurance and Children's TV sites at BellaOnline for a few years.

I will be using this Autism Family Adventures Blog for posts that do not fit at BellaOnline and to share about sites and resources I find along my travels. The id "autismfamily" is not new for me since this is the ID I utilize at many sites.

Perhaps you have sold an autism awareness item to me or purchased books from me when I was selling items. I have the ID autismfamily on ebay as well.

I stated a yahoo group in January of 2004 entitled, MakingPECSCards. There are now 480 members. I implemented Round Robins, which are similar to coupon trains, but we share pecs or picture cards instead of coupons. If you are a parent, teacher, therapist, aide or professional feel free to join. There are links, photos and files at the group for your perusal. The Round Robins are for those in the USA and Canada.

I am also known as "autismfamily" on CafeMom. The two groups I started there are Wish Upon A Hero Members and Autism Resources

I have granted wishes at Wish Upon A Hero under the autismfamily ID. There is a large autism community at that site.

I have an ebook, Educational Autism Tips For Families

I run several groups on gather, including Autism Families and AC Writers for those who want to bring attention to their articles on Associated Content.

I have a profile over at MyLot and have written a few articles on >Associated Content and Helium. I am also on FriendFeed, Myspace, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Cre8buzz, Plurk, Mom Logic,Oozzl, Healia, Trusera, MedHelp and Revolution Health.

I am moving my way around the internet joining sites and meeting new people that may or may not have an autism connection. I look forward to meeting new people and sharing what goes on in an autism family.