Does this sound familiar?

Your Monday begins bright and early. You make breakfast for your family, then lunches for everyone, get them all out the door and race to work, forgetting to eat breakfast yourself.

You're barely settled at work when your mother calls and says she can't figure out her medications. Every week you pre-dose them into a pill box to make it easier for her to know when to take which medications. Her morning medications are most important. Your sister is away on a business trip. Your brother lives three hours away. You're behind on a project at work, but once again, you have to take time off and assist your mother. It cannot be ignored.

When you arrive, your mother is clearly confused. She's sitting in her favorite chair and the TV is on full volume. A plate of old food you had previously prepared sits on a table. She's not sure if she has eaten breakfast. The pill box is a mess. She's had a bout of incontinence. She's still wearing the same clothes as when you stopped by on Friday.

You go in the kitchen and begin to cry, not knowing what to do.

A starting point is to contact a non-medical senior home care company. These organizations can help with meal preparation, medication management, personal care and hygiene needs as well as much-needed companionship. Caregivers can come in for a few hours to give you a break, or they can be scheduled regularly (even on a live-in basis) as your loved one's needs grow.

When evaluating non-medical senior home care companies, make sure they are licensed and insured and conduct criminal background checks on their caregivers.

To learn more about non-medical senior home care services and to find a company in your area, visit liftcaregiving.com.

Janet Faraone is president of Senior Solutions of Richmond and Katie Gilstrap is the co-founder of Lift Caregiving.