It’s no secret that as you get older, tasks that were once simple become more difficult. Yet in some cases, they can also become dangerous. According to the CDC, 36 million adults over the age of 65 fall each year, leading to tens of thousands of annual injuries.
To help their older parents or relatives stay safe while going about their day to day routines, many people turn to a home care provider for assistance. But how do you know what sort of person you should hire?
Keep reading for a guide that will help you understand how to choose a caregiver to look after an elderly parent.
Be Clear on Their Needs
The first thing you need to do is assess the needs of your parent. This will help you find an at home care provider who covers all of the bases.
If your parent is elderly, frail, and needs a lot of assistance, you might be looking for someone who can help them with everything. Medication management, household cleaning, meal preparation, and bathing are some of the many things home healthcare can help with.
In other cases, you might only be looking for someone to look after them for a few hours of the day when you’re busy. Your ideal candidate might spend some time with your parent, pick up some groceries, and overall take a more hands-off approach.
Craft a Detailed Job Description
Once you figure out the needs that you and your parent have, it’s time to get to work putting all of that into a detailed job description.
Aside from mentioning the tasks that you’ll need them to do, make sure to also include the qualifications you expect them to have. Do you want them to be a CNA, an LPN, or an RN? Be clear so that you don’t have to sift through applicants that don’t meet your standards.
Some other things to consider are whether or not you’re looking for someone with a valid driver’s license, as well as whether they need to lift your parent or use special equipment.
Create a Contract
In most instances, it’s a good idea to create a work contract. This helps further clarify things and can hold your elder care provider accountable if something goes wrong.
The contract should contain a section that discusses their salary, as well as the hours that they’ll be working. You should also write up termination clauses, as well as a general job description that can give the caretaker a sense of what to expect.
Don’t forget to include a section that touches upon unacceptable behavior, as well. Once you have all of that, have both parties sign and date it.
Look for Candidates in the Right Places
Part of finding the perfect caretaker means knowing where to look for them. If you look in the wrong places, you might struggle with finding someone that gives you a good feeling, or you might not find them at all.
Ask around your different social circles to see if anyone has any recommendations. Neighbors and friends can be a good place to start. You can also talk to your pastor if you belong to a church, as odds are they work with many elderly church members.
Remember that you’re looking for professional home care services. You might have a family member that seems like they could be a good fit, but business and family don’t often mix well.
Conduct Interviews
Once you narrow in on one or more candidates, get to work preparing a list of interview questions. You can use common interview questions, as well as describe different scenarios to see how they would respond.
If you have absolutely no idea what to ask, consider making a call to a caregiver agency to get some tips.
Aside from listening to their answers, try to get a sense of what sort of person they seem like. Are they compassionate, patient, and enthusiastic? Or do they seem to like being a caretaker is just a way to make ends meet?
Make Sure to Vet Them
After finding a candidate that looks ideal, don’t hire them on the spot unless you’ve done your research beforehand.
One good way to get a sense of what sort of person they’re like is to contact their references. Past employers should give you information about how strong of a worker they are, as well as whether they enjoyed their time together.
It’s also a good idea to pay for a criminal background check before signing anyone on. You want to make sure that they are conviction-free. You should also watch out for offenses that may compromise their ability to provide care.
Continue to Monitor Them Later on
After you hire a caregiver, make sure that you monitor them from time to time to ensure that there aren’t any problems.
You should also ask the caretaker to provide you with regular updates about your parent. You need to know if any issues arise so that you can help resolve them.
If the caregiver fails to fulfill the duties laid out in your contract, don’t be afraid to begin the search again for a more suitable candidate. When it’s the people you care about, you can’t ever be too careful.
Find a Home Care Provider You Can Count on
If your parent is beginning to having problems looking after themself, don’t worry. Getting older is just a part of life, and by setting them up with the best home care provider possible, they’ll be able to continue living their life to the fullest.
Do you now have a better understanding of how to find the best in-home care provider? If you do, make sure to check out some of our articles for more helpful guides and tips.
