Immediate Hire — Experienced Dementia… at Home Instead · Columbia

Monday & Thursday | 9:00 AM–3:00 PM 12 hours/week to start, with potential to grow to 18 - 30 hours/week if desired

Pay $17 - 18 per hour

Home Instead is seeking an exceptionally calm, experienced Care Professional for a new dementia-care assignment with a client who will benefit most from patience, consistency, and genuine relationship-building.

Our client is a longtime homemaker who loves animals, conversation, walking outside, television, crossword puzzles, and staying active around her home. Animals are one of her strongest lifelong connections, and she enjoys talking about horses, dogs, cats, and memories from earlier parts of her life. MUST BE OK WITH CATS AND DOGS.

She is also living with significant dementia-related changes that can include confusing conversations, hallucinations, delusions, profanity, negative comments, and occasionally upsetting statements.

The successful caregiver will not argue, correct, confront, or take these moments personally, as they deeply understand the progression of dementia and Alzheimer's and the patience required.

You will know how to:

• Stay calm when the conversation becomes confusing or emotionally charged.
• Respond to the feeling behind a statement instead of debating whether the details are accurate.
• Redirect naturally using conversation, animals, household activities, television, outdoor time, or another familiar interest.
• Give the client space rather than becoming forceful when help is declined.
• Build familiarity slowly so care feels safe instead of intrusive.
• Keep the environment relaxed while still paying close attention to safety and changing needs.

What You’ll Be Doing

As the relationship develops, support may include:

• Dementia-informed redirection and engagement.
• Preparing simple meals or snacks.
• Light housekeeping and helping maintain a comfortable home environment.
• Providing meaningful respite for the client's husband.
• Observing changes and communicating clearly with the Home Instead care team..

Consistency is extremely important for this client. We are specifically looking for someone who can reliably commit to the ongoing Monday and Thursday schedule rather than treating these shifts as occasional fill-in work.

Why This Work Matters

A great dementia caregiver can change the entire experience of being cared for at home.

For this family, success means creating enough trust that the client begins to recognize her Care Pro as a safe, familiar part of her routine. That relationship gives her husband meaningful respite and creates the foundation for meals, household support, engagement, and eventually more activity outside the home.

The family is starting intentionally with two six-hour shifts per week so the client can become comfortable with one consistent caregiver. If the relationship develops successfully, they hope to add a third day of care.