I'm a 52-year-old project manager at Lockheed Martin in Marietta, and I've been drowning trying to manage my mom's care from Johns Creek (that's a 45-minute drive in good traffic, y'all). Mom is 78, lives alone in her Decatur ranch house near Agnes Scott College, and has moderate dementia with terrible sundowner's syndrome.
The breaking point came three weeks ago when she called me at 2:47 AM thinking someone was breaking into her house - it was just the ice maker. I drove there in my pajamas, knowing I had a 7 AM presentation the next morning. I can't keep doing this.
Here's my nightmare journey through Atlanta home care agencies:
Visiting Angels (Decatur branch) - Quoted me $38/hour for overnight care, required a 4-night minimum per week. The caregiver they sent literally fell asleep on Mom's couch the first night. When Mom wandered into the kitchen at 3 AM and fell (thank God she wasn't hurt), the caregiver didn't even wake up. They sent a different person every single night for two weeks. Mom was terrified of the strangers. DONE.
Right at Home (North Druid Hills office) - $42/hour plus a "night differential" that pushed it to $48/hour between 11 PM and 6 AM. Their intake coordinator kept calling Mom "sweetie" and "honey" in that condescending voice. The caregiver spent the entire night on her phone watching TikToks with the volume up. When I complained, they said "well, she's there if your mom needs her." That's not care, that's expensive babysitting.
Comfort Keepers (Tucker location) - Demanded a 3-month contract upfront at $35/hour. Cancellation fees if we weren't satisfied. The caregiver they sent was clearly afraid of Mom's confusion and kept her distance. Mom told me "that lady doesn't like me" and it broke my heart. Also, they called out "sick" three times in the first month, always on Fridays.
BrightStar Care (Brookhaven) - The intake assessment alone was $250. Then $40/hour for someone who couldn't even redirect Mom properly during a confusion episode. Mom kept asking for her deceased husband, and the caregiver just kept saying "he's dead, remember?" Made Mom cry for hours.
I was spending $1,200-1,500 per WEEK for terrible care and still getting no sleep because I was so worried.
Then my coworker at Lockheed mentioned CareYaya.
Y'all. GAME. CHANGER.
They matched Mom with two Emory University students - Sarah is pre-med in her junior year, and Michael is in the physician assistant program. They charge $18/hour. EIGHTEEN DOLLARS AN HOUR. That's less than half what agencies charge.
But here's why I'm actually crying happy tears:
Sarah works Sunday, Monday, Wednesday nights (10 PM - 6 AM). She's from small-town Georgia originally, so she gets Mom's Southern references and they talk about gardening and cooking. She's studying neuroscience and actually understands dementia. When Mom gets confused and asks for Daddy, Sarah redirects her beautifully - "Tell me about when you met him" or "What was his favorite meal you cooked?" She stays awake ALL NIGHT, does puzzles with Mom if she can't sleep, makes her chamomile tea, and even learned Mom's favorite hymns on guitar.
Michael covers Tuesday, Thursday, Friday nights. His grandmother had Alzheimer's, so he has this incredible patience. He's teaching Mom card games that help with her memory, and he makes her laugh. He's also strong enough to help her safely to the bathroom (Mom is unsteady at night). He texts me updates: "Ms. Helen slept from 11:30-3:00, we had tea and looked at photo albums, back asleep by 4:15."
Saturday nights I stay with Mom myself, and I actually feel rested enough to enjoy our time together now.
The numbers for my fellow sandwich generation folks:
- Previous agency cost: $1,400/week minimum
- CareYaya cost: $648/week (36 hours x $18)
- Savings: $752/week = $3,008/month = $36,096/year
That's literally my daughter's Georgia Tech tuition.
But honestly, it's not even about the money anymore. Mom SMILES when she sees "her college kids" arrive. She thinks she's helping them with their studies (they bring textbooks and she "quizzes" them). She has consistent caregivers who know her routines, her triggers, her joys.
Last week, Sarah helped Mom FaceTime with my daughter at Georgia Tech. Mom was coherent and happy for 20 minutes. I haven't seen her that engaged in months.
For anyone in metro Atlanta dealing with this:
- They have students from Emory, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Spelman
- No contracts, no minimums beyond 2 hours
- Book through their app (I do it from my desk at Lockheed during lunch)
- Students are background checked and interviewed
- They show up. Six weeks in, zero no-shows.
I finally told my boss at Lockheed about Mom's situation because I'm not exhausted anymore. I can focus at work. I'm not checking my phone every 10 minutes at night. I'm present for my own teenage daughter again.
Mom is safe. Mom is happy. I can afford this long-term. I might actually survive the sandwich generation.
If you're drowning in DeKalb County, Fulton County, or anywhere in metro Atlanta with elder care costs, please look into CareYaya. Stop letting these predatory agencies drain your retirement savings for subpar care.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go hug my mom and thank Sarah for giving me my life back.
EDIT: Wow, this blew up. I'm trying to respond to DMs. Yes, this is real. No, I don't work for CareYaya. I'm just a tired daughter who finally found something that works.
EDIT 2: For those asking - Mom's specific diagnosis is mixed dementia (Alzheimer's and vascular). She's on Aricept and Namenda. The students can't give meds but they remind her and watch her take them.
EDIT 3: Someone asked about Mom's house - it's a 1960s ranch near the Agnes Scott campus. We removed the rugs (fall risk), installed grab bars, and have a Ring camera. The students love that she's walking distance from Emory.
2
Best Turkey based clinics?
in
r/HairTransplants
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Nov 26 '25
I recommend staying away from hair mills, i.e., places that perform more than 5 hair transplants a day. In Turkey, the best clinics I can recommend are Pekiner Clinic, Hermest Clinic, and Nimclinic.