How can I go about hiring a nurse to take care of a relative with Alzheimers?

Most areas have nursing services. If you can’t find one, check with local hospitals, they should be able to refer you to the proper agency

Call your local Area Agency on Aging. They will be able to direct you to an array of services which he will be eligible for and, as long as he is sixty years of age or older, the services will be free or nearly free. They will also be able to guide you should you want to purchase private nursing services.

My uncle lives in another state
(I should’ve mentioned this in my question.) Will this create it own challenge ?

Jaybee
Area agencies on aging are in every state. It us a mandate of the older American’s act of1965. Sometimes they are administered through non profits and sometimes they are administred within the umbrella of a government entity.
Google “area Agencies on Aging” and you should find enough infiomation to direct you to the one close to you. If that doesn’t work, contact your state department of aging and they can provide the information to you.

Oh, I meant to add…being in a different state should not be a problem in accessing services for your uncle. This is typical and they are used to dealing with this type of situation.

You might want to start with the office of your uncle’s primary care physican. It should have all the resourced available in the area. Somone there should act as ombudsman for you both, since you are not nearby.

@basp: thank you. I didn’t know about the Area Agency on Aging being able to provide services. I drive by the one in our town every week and I always thought it was just a place to pick up pamphlets. This is because I’m in denial about being old. sigh

Susanc
It is worth checking out even before you need services so you know what is available should you need it probably the service that most people are familar with is Meals on Wheels but they offer many other services such as legal assistance, adult day care, medication management, etc.
The sad part is that due to the drastic cuts in state/federal budgets, funding has been cut and/or precarious right now just as the need is increasing as the baby boomers are coming of age.

You can find a nurse staffing company in the yellowpages. They typically send CNA’s to peoples’ homes. I am not sure how much they cost but they usually make 12–18 dollars an hour. If he has any neighbors I would also let them know what is up if he wanders. A good neighbor or two can be a lifesaver.