I'm hoping that those of you who are further along this journey can give me some advice.
My parents are in their early 80s, and until recently have been pretty healthy.
My mother has now been in hospital for a month recovering from a stroke. This is going ok: she's mentally fine, but she still can't balance/walk. So there's some way to go there.
My father is due to have ankle surgery at the start of April (this is being done privately, was the NHS delays are appalling and he's already lost such a lot of fitness/strength as a result of the NHS falling to diagnose the problem for months and moths). He's going to need 2 weeks when he does pretty much nothing, and then he's going to be in a boot for 6 more weeks (no driving).
I am assuming that some form of residential respite care is likely to be best for the first fortnight (? is this right??) but what about the later period? I suspect my mum will be discharged at some point in that period, and he just won't be able to care for her on his own.
Honestly, I don't even know how to think about this or anticipate what might be needed. What do I look for? Are there agencies that might (for eg) be able to find people who would like a live-in but part-time housekeeping/minor care/gardening job?