You’ve realized that your aging parent requires a caregiver. Now, how do you go about making that happen?
After sensitively discussing the need for a private caregiver with your loved one and ensuring that all family members involved are on the same page, it’s time to hire an appropriate caregiver. For most, this is unchartered territory, and so many important decisions must be made.
What are our expectations of the hired caregiver?
Should you hire an independent caregiver or hire via a home care agency?
How is the hired caregiver being paid?
What should you be aware of when vetting applicants?
Clarity about the caregiver’s responsibilities.
To enter the hiring process with the most chances for success, it is important to clearly establish what health issues or duties your loved one requires care for or help with. For example, a caregiver hired primarily for home medical care requires a different level of medical expertise and personality attributes than one hired mainly for domestic and companionship purposes.
Reviewing the below list of common caregiver duties can help you determine what responsibilities and duties your caregiver will be hired for.
Medical Assistance:
- ☛ Does your loved one require any level of nursing assistance?
- ☛ Are there any medical issues that require experience in a specific area, such as alzheimer’s, dementia, arthritis, swallowing or feeding issues?
- ☛ Does your loved one need someone to accompany him or her to medical appointments or therapy sessions?
- ☛ Would you like the caregiver to be responsible for managing your loved one’s medications?
Domestic Help:
- ☛ Is your parent having difficulty with daily household duties such as taking the garbage to the curb, unpacking deliveries, and general housekeeping?
- ☛ Would you like the caregiver to run general errands when necessary?
- ☛ Does your loved one require general supervision and companionship?
- ☛ Is personal grooming and bathing assistance needed?
- ☛ Are meal preparation duties becoming too difficult for your loved one to maintain?
Independent Caregiver or Home Care Agency?
Home care agencies are businesses that employ caregivers and are licensed to send them to carry out caregiver duties at the home of patients who reach out to them to hire a caregiver. The caregivers hired via a home care agency can provide both medical or non-medical care. The type of care they provide depends on whether they are medical professionals (such as nurses or nursing assistants) or non-professional personal caregivers.
Agency hired, non-medical caregivers assist with activities of daily living such as meal preparation, personal grooming, or feeding, etc.
Independent caregivers, on the other hand, are employed by the family of the patient directly. These caregivers may also be trained to provide medical care, but the majority of private caregivers are commonly personal care providers. The family gets to choose the caregiver they would like to hire, and the exact medical, personal, or combined care wanted.
The costs are decreased by around 20-30% when hiring independent caregivers, however, you will be responsible for the payroll and employer management of the caregiver. Many families outsource this burden to a 3rd party payroll management company.
Caregiver Networking, Vetting, and Wages.
Both independent and agency caregivers must be carefully vetted to ensure their experience, background, and personality are integral and a fit for the patient and family they will service. Yet, when hiring independently, there are additional steps such as networking, vetting, and payroll that you will have to carry out independently.
Networking:
Once you have determined to go with an independent caregiver, you must now find, vet, and hire a suitable individual. Some avenues of locating a caregiver are:
- ● Posting an online listing on a job website such as Craigslist
- ● Contacting an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) near you to inquire about senior caregivers in your area.
- ● Enlisting the services of a 3rd party service which assists in finding caregivers.
Wages:
When determining independent caregiver wages, you should make sure to take the following into account:
- ● Federal laws regarding caregiver wages and taxes
- ● Market pricing in your area
Vetting:
Before interviewing a candidate or having them meet the senior patient, here is a list of good practices to verify their trustworthiness and background.
- ● Running a background and credit check
- ● Confirming previous places of employment
- ● Speaking to references
- ● Verifying certifications and licenses
Interviewing the Caregiver:
If an in-person meeting is difficult to arrange, a phone call – or better yet, a virtual call – may also be sufficient. It’s a great idea to ask about:
- ● Previous work experience
- ● Specialized Training
- ● His/her likes or dislikes in regard to previous employment
- ● Present a difficult care scenario and ask for their probable response
- ● Their reason for employment in the senior space
Caregiver Costs and Medicaid
Medicaid does offer options for having independently hired caregiver costs covered, either partially or fully.
For more information about your loved one’s eligibility or for professional assistance with this process, reach out to Senior Planning Services at 855.S.Planning (775-2664) or via email: info@seniorplanning.com.