Background is that I live in a small communal development of houses where most of the other residents are quite elderly. Had a phone call today from the daughter of one of said residents, saying she was increasingly worried about her mother, who is not frail but is increasingly forgetful. She said that she now wants to have regular checks on her mother to make sure she's ok, and asked if I would take on the role. She wants me to go in every morning and evening for 10 minutes or so (to check she's healthy, not depressed, and doesn't have any domestic emergencies etc), and ideally also take in a meal each evening. She made it quite clear that she expected to pay for this service, and asked me to suggest how much I would charge. She said she thought I'd be an ideal person to do this because I don't work, and she thought I might like the pocket money (which would indeed be useful).
Now, my initial reaction is that I really don't want to take this on. I have a two year old at home, and another baby on the way in August. It sounds a bit pathetic, but just the logistics of organising a toddler to go round without fail, twice a day, puts me off; plus, I'm worried about how good I would actually be at chatting to the lady in question and making sure she's ok. My DH's instant reaction was that he would worry about legal responsibilities - the daughter said she would not hold me responsible for her mother's wellbeing, but DH fears that being in an employed position might give me certain legal responsibilities. Also, the thought of making an extra meal each night sounds like a chore (though I think I could say no to this bit).
So, what do you think? I really want to say no, but at the same time I feel like it makes me a terrible neighbour - like I'm refusing to help a vulnerable old lady. And when I expressed hesitation on the phone, the daughter put on quite a surprised/disappointed voice and made me feel quite bad. I've said I'll get back to her - what should I do??