It is a big step to decide a home caregiver could help you or an elder family member. How do you find the right home caregiver? How do you go about making this a successful process?
Here are some tips to consider as you go about the process of hiring an in home caregiver for senior care:
- Know where to go for help. Understand the rules governing home care providers and the liabilities of hiring private home health care individuals. Interview and compare similar organizations to find out who can best meet your needs.
- Brainstorm about what you need from a home caregiver. Are you looking for someone to help a little bit every day? Do you just need someone short-term while you recover from a surgery? What types of tasks will the home caregiver be expected to perform? Prepare a list of tasks and questions about skills and qualities that you would like to find.
- Think about costs and budgets within a wider framework. We suggest you download our “Budgeting for Senior Care Tips and Resources” to create a resource map. Do you need to find out about government assistance before you begin your search? Do you need temporary help but can only afford the care for X amount of time? Do you have a long-term care policy but have questions about the terms?
- Keep an open mind. Though it is good to create your wish list of needs and qualities, many clients and families find reality to be different than expectations. For example, your Mom may say she does not like particularly “chatty” people and then find her favorite caregiver is the one who talks the most and keeps her engaged in interesting conversations. It may turn out that tasks you thought were not that important are very important to your elder parent.
Are you looking for more resources on things like: Medicare coverage of home health care, Alzheimer’s Specialty Care, Senior Safety and Falls Prevention? We have lots of resources available at our Senior Care Resource Center and in our monthly Caregiver Tips newsletter.
Contact us today at 727-448-0900 if there’s something you cannot locate or if we can help you find the ideal home caregiver to meet your loved one’s needs.
