If your loved one lives at home—and you can’t be there to provide daily care—a skilled home care worker may offer the solution to many of your caregiving problems.
If your loved one needs assistance with medication, bathing, dressing, cooking, housekeeping, transportation, or other daily activities and you can’t always be there to help, you might want to consider hiring a home care worker. Before you consider hiring help, ask yourself a few questions. How long do you need the services? Will half a day be enough? Until you get home from work? Round-the-clock care? And what type of help would be best for you and your loved one?
- A housekeeper or chore worker performs basic household tasks and light cleaning.
- A homemaker or personal care worker provides personal care, meal planning, household management and medication reminders.
- A companion or live-in provides personal care, light housework, exercise, companionship and medication reminders.
A home health aide, certified nurse assistant or nurses’ aide provides personal care, help with transfers, walking, exercise; household services that are essential to health care; and assistance with medications. Once you’ve decided on the type of help you need, you can hire someone yourself—by searching online or taking recommendations from family or friends.
When Hiring Help On Your Own:
- Screen all applicants carefully.
- Ask for identification and check references.
- Be sure that the home care worker has the necessary qualifications and/or training.
- Ask to see training certificates, particularly if your loved one has special medical needs such as insulin injections.
- If your loved one needs to be transferred from a wheelchair, make certain that the aide knows how to do this safely.
- If the prospective aide does not know how to bathe a person in bed or perform safe transfers—but seems to be otherwise qualified—he or she can be trained.
- If your loved one needs round-the-clock care, you might consider hiring live-in help.
- Check with your insurance company about coverage for a full-time home care worker: Contact the appropriate agencies concerning social security taxes, unemployment insurance and workmen’s compensation. If you don’t want to deal with these complicated withholdings on your own, accountants and companies that specialize in payrolls can perform these functions for you.
- If public transportation isn’t available and your loved one isn’t eligible for free or low-cost transportation, try to hire someone who drives. This can save you substantial amounts of money in taxi or commercial van ride fares. If the home care worker is going to drive your car, be sure to check with your insurance company concerning any limitations on your policy.
Your Interview With The Prospective Home Care Worker Should Include:
- A full discussion of your loved one’s needs and limitations.
- Full disclosure of the applicant’s caregiving experience and his or her expectations.
- The names, addresses, and phone numbers of people who have previously employed the applicant. Be certain to check all such references.
Once You Have Hired A Home Care Worker:
- Protect your loved one’s private papers and valuables.
- Make arrangements to pick up the mail yourself. Secure a post office box.
- Check the phone bill, cable bill, credit card and bank statements for unauthorized use. Professional caregivers have access to a variety of sensitive materials. It’s best to keep a close eye on your loved one’s finances.
- Communicate frequently to ensure that the worker is carrying out his or her responsibilities for your loved one.
- Explain what you want done and how you would like it done. Keeping in mind that the home care worker is there to care for your loved one and not the rest of the family.
- If the worker lives in the home, make sure that he or she has living quarters that give you, your loved one and the worker the maximum amount of privacy possible.
- Be clear about the worker’s salary, the pay period and reimbursement for money the worker may spend for gas, groceries, etc.
- If the home care worker has a car, discuss use of the worker’s car on the job, insurance coverage for the worker’s car, or other travel arrangements.
- Discuss the subject of vacations, holidays, absences and lateness. Clarify the amount of time each of you should give if the employment is terminated.
- If you work and must depend on the home care worker on specific days and times, emphasize the importance of being informed as soon as possible if the home care worker is going to be late or absent. It is wise to have a list of home care agencies, neighbors or family members who can be called upon on short notice.
- Inform the worker about your loved one’s dietary restrictions; provide a list of contacts in case of an emergency; review security precautions and keys; and discuss your loved one’s medication requirements.
- Once the home care worker is on the job, hold periodic meetings to discuss any problems the worker or your loved one may have, and find ways to resolve them. It pays to be positive and open in resolving difficulties. In most cases, they can be corrected.
- Put things in writing. Have everyone involved in your loved one’s care sign off on the document stating each understands and agrees to the terms, rules and directives.
Source: Adapted from © Copyright FamilyCare America, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Adapted from Elder Action: Action Ideas For Older Persons and Their Families. Caregivers, Caregiving and Home Care Workers, developed by the Administration on Aging.
