Many caregivers work outside the home so it is not always possible to care for a loved one yourself. You may have circumstances that require you to seek outside professional help whether for several hours at a time or all day until you can arrive home from work. That doesn’t mean you can’t help out and still be a part of their care. Hiring someone to be there for your loved one while you are away, someone who would care for them as you would, is the next best thing to being there yourself.
Before you begin your search to find a qualified caregiver, here are a few tips to help make the process as seamless as possible:
Decide how you will handle the hiring
If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to a search, you may not be the best person to take on the task of researching and finding a caregiver. There are agencies that will do the research for you and provide caregivers for short-term or long-term care. Get in touch with one of these agencies for further information and the necessary steps to proceed with a search.
Paying for the caregiver
An agency will tell you all about their payment policies. If your loved one has insurance, they will file it along with Medicaid and Medicare. Any overages will come out of the loved one’s estate or from their family. You will definitely need to do the research if you decide to hire a caregiver yourself. You will want to consult with your county’s Commission on Aging, adult social services, or similar office, and perhaps your attorney.
You are in an employer-employee relationship
When you hire a caregiver on your own, you become an employer. Depending on the salary, this entitles the employee to certain benefits. As an independent contractor, your hired caregiver would typically file their own taxes claiming income from you. This means you will need information from them as any employer would. This would generally include a form W9 with all the pertinent information included, such as social security number, full name, and current address. Learn the laws concerning all of this before embarking on the independent route.
Decide on your criteria for a caregiver
You, of course, want someone who will treat your loved one with respect, but also someone who has the experience necessary to be effective. When dealing with dementia, you want to avoid someone with limited knowledge of this condition as it can be a frustrating and exhausting situation. Arm yourself with a list of your requirements for the position so you can be clear what type of person is right for the job.
Caregivers are faced with a difficult task and that task requires just the right person. When you can’t be there for your family member, you will want the person you hire to exhibit the best attitude and skills you can find to care for your loved one.
If you have hired a caregiver and have tips you would like to share, please leave them in the comment section. Please especially let us know what did or did not work for you when hiring outside help. We would appreciate hearing about your experiences.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Guardian Alert // Sep 15, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Having gone through this with my own mother who had Alzheimer’s, I strongly recommend using an agency. In this way, you can be assured that the caregiver has had references checked, had a full background check, and in many cases has had training as well.
Guardian Alert recently posted..LifeStation Home Medical Alert System
2 Edie // Sep 16, 2010 at 10:13 pm
That is very true – especially the full background check. Unless you personally know the person, you have no idea what you might be getting yourself into. There are many horror stories about bad caregivers, and you certainly don’t want to be a statistic. Thank you for making this point.
3 Eithne Dundas // Oct 5, 2010 at 11:26 am
Terrific article. You address an important distinction regarding qualifications needed when working with someone who is experiencing advanced dementia – which is different from the many seniors who just wish to remain at home.
Yes, there are the same payroll and legal implications as one would have hiring a housecleaner, nanny or landscaper – virtually anyone hired to work within your home.
There are significant benefits to hiring a senior personal assistant over a home care agency. The screening process is done by you, and that’s a good thing. You will be developing a relationship with this person, as will your senior parent. You will want to share and discuss any unique challenges that may be present, and you will want to interview the assistant in depth so that you are comfortable with their experience and social skills – key to developing trust and rapport.
My own extended family’s experience with home health aides was mixed – most were caring, most watched t.v., none were proactively committed to keeping my mother-in-law active, nor did they establish any genuine rapport or family communication – it felt like nursing home care in the home. We would not repeat this mistake with my own mother, and I would want a senior assistant to offer the same engagement, structure and support that I offer her.
4 Edie // Oct 5, 2010 at 11:37 am
Unfortunately, the level of care as far as home health aides are concerned does greatly vary. It’s extremely difficult to get anyone to come into your home who would provide the same structure and support you or other family members would provide. You make a number of very good points. Thanks for leaving your thoughts and for visiting this site. Hope to hear from you soon.
Leave a Comment