Essential Factors for Choosing a Home Care For The Elderly

Choosing a home care is one of the most important facts about how healthy the elderly will lead their lives. As most of the elderly want to spend time in their homes for as long as they want to, it becomes a challenge to search for that ideal caregiver that tends to the elder’s needs.

The right caregiver can improve your loved one’s living quality significantly by providing affection, helping them go outdoors more, encourage them to do more activities, and in general refine their daily lifestyle. On the other hand, if your loved one falls into the wrong hands, they might not fulfill their needs. Potentially, they could even harm by abusing them mentally, physically, and maybe even sexually.

Here is a list of essential tips which needs to be considered for choosing a home care. This list can be used as a guide during your family discussions to help you structure your meeting and make it a constructive and fruitful one. It is important involve all your stakeholders (brothers, sisters, relatives) who would be contributing to your elderly parent’s care whether it is time, money or other form during this planning stage and have their inputs on caregiver preferences, care requirements and budget.

Ideally, you should have a clear picture in your mind on what you look out for in a caregiver, what is the job scope and your monthly budget before you approach employment agencies.

Here are the tips for choosing a home care:

Take a look at your budget

We all want the absolute best care provided to our loved ones, but realistically speaking, not many of us can afford it. This is why you must consider all the costs so that you do not suddenly get overwhelmed by them later on. You must consult with your other loved ones too, like brothers, sisters, uncles, etc., so that they can all contribute and perhaps make it so that you can get better care for your loved one.

Be Honest With Yourself

When you are in the process of looking for senior health care services, you need to understand the level of care you can provide.

Especially if the elder that you want to take care of is your parent, you may feel guilty about not being able to care for them around-the-clock. You may feel anxious about leaving them in the hands of a professional because they don’t “know” your parent like you do.

However, you also need to be honest with yourself (and the potential caregiver) about what you are truly capable of doing. This is true not only when it comes to the time commitment you can provide, but also with the level of medical expertise and nursing care that you have.

Evaluate the Elder’s Needs

Once you have decided to get your loved one a caretaker, it’s time to figure out their exact needs. What exactly do they need help with? This could be their daily functions, activities, medicinal needs, and physical support. Each of these requires special care and can be communicated when hiring someone. You can then decide to hire a caregiver based on how much you feel these factors are fulfilled. It can be helpful to speak with your loved ones too so they can share what they need and choose which one they think is good for them.

Caregiver stress is real — and you deserve a break.

Even if the elder in your life doesn’t yet need 24/7 care, you should still consider respite care.

This means that a caregiver will be able to help you when you need it, to give you a break, and even to make you aware of the signs that the elder may need a higher level of care.

Write a Job Description.

Write out a job description based on the help that is needed. Be sure to include:

• Health care training needed (level and what type: Certified Nursing Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse)
• Driving (car needed or only valid driver’s license)
• Ability to lift care recipient and/or operate special equipment

Develop a Job Contract.

The job contract is based on the job description and should include:

• Wages; when and how payment will be made
• Hours of work
• Employee’s Social Security number (because you must report wages paid to the caregiver to the Internal Revenue Service)
• Job description
• Unacceptable behavior (such as smoking, abusive language, tardiness, etc.)
• Termination (how much notice, reasons for termination without notice, etc.)
• Dated signatures of employee and employer.

Requirements in a Caregiver’s Experience

If you are looking to hire someone experienced in caregiving, you would need to decide on the type of experience you would like your caregiver to have. Below are some common requirements that you can discuss with your family for choosing a home care

·         Number of Years in Caregiving

What is the minimum number of years of caregiving experience you prefer in a caregiver?

Generally, a caregiver with at least 2 – 3 years of experience in caring for care recipients who need help in showering, toileting and mobility would meet the caregiving requirements needed by most families.

Some families may prefer someone who has 5 or more years in caregiving. If this is your family’s preference, you would have to be prepared to pay a premium for her experience.

·         Experience in Caring for Someone with Similar Medical Condition

It is very common for families to prefer hiring a caregiver with prior experience in caring for a person with similar medical condition to their loved one. With medical conditions that are more prevalent among elderly such as stroke, dementia and diabetes, it is possible to find a good caregiver who matches your experience requirements.

However, if your loved one has a less common medical condition such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or a specific type of cancer, do bear in mind that it can be quite hard to find someone who matches the experience.

Instead of looking to match experience in terms of medical conditions, it might be more practical for families to match experience in terms of physical conditions.

For example, if your care recipient has become wheelchair-bound after a stroke or a fracture, you can look for someone with experience in caring for wheelchair-bound care recipients. He or she would possess care skills that are specific to caring someone who is chair-bound including transferring a person from bed to wheelchair and vice versa, using a commode for assisted shower and changing diapers.

Prepare for The Interview

Prepare a list of questions to ask. Have a list for any applicant, caregiver agency, referral source, or reference you may call during your search. If you don’t know what questions to ask a private caregiver, call a caregiver agency. The agency should be helpful, because you are a prospective customer.

Interview Applicants Yourself.

After you have screened applicants on the telephone, you should interview in person those who sound acceptable. Invite a friend or family member to sit in on the interview to provide a second opinion. Always observe interactions between the worker and the person who will be receiving care.

If you are interviewing a caregiver agency, ask to interview the in-home caregivers yourself. Many agency employees look good on paper, but will not be a good fit for you, for cultural, religious, social, or any number of reasons. You may just not like the person the agency has assigned to you.

inform the Home Care with All The Important Information

A major mistake that individuals make before hiring a home care is not letting him or her know of the tasks they will be attending to. Even if the work is minuscule, the caregiver should have knowledge of it beforehand.

A caregiver quitting in the middle of the service can mean severe troubles for the family as well as the elderly.

Evaluate The Caregiver’s Social Interaction.

Many seniors fear that caregivers or care facilities will be isolating, limiting their social interaction with friends and loved ones. It is important to keep this in mind throughout the process of choosing a home care and identify the activities that he or she may enjoy such as playing games, exercising or cooking. Make sure to inquire about the caregiver’s ability to allow social interaction. Someone who is able to accommodate your parent’s individual preferences or cultural activities will likely be a better fit for your mother or father.

Observe Patience Level
Being a home home care can be a challenging job for many people. However, a caregiver must remain calm in all situations. There will be times when the caregiver feels like quitting or giving up, but he or she should not show these feelings to the senior he or she cares for. Ask the caregiver if he or she has the patience to care for a senior whose health may decrease over time or what he or she would do in instances when your loved one becomes confused, sad, angry, and irritated.

Look For Flexibility
Emergency situations can occur, and you never know when you will need assistance with your loved one outside of the agreed-upon schedule. It is necessary to hire a home caregiver who has a flexible schedule and is available on short notice.

Check References.

In the process of choosing a home care it is important to check references carefully, talking to everyone who is given as a reference. You are looking for someone who is dependable and reliable as well as someone who is qualified to do the work.

Get a Criminal Background Check.

People who are paid by state funds usually must always pass a criminal background check. But even if someone does not have a conviction for a disqualifying crime (which would be identified through the background check), he or she may have convictions for offenses that would concern you or present a safety risk (using drugs; driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; driving without a driver’s license or insurance).

If you are hiring an agency or from an agency, make sure that the agency does criminal background checks. Many states’ laws require a background check, but that doesn’t mean it has been done.

Check Physical Capabilities of the caregiver.
This could be an important factor while choosing a home care, depending on the type of care your loved one needs. If your loved one is unable to move from room to room without assistance, a caregiver may need to carry him or her to the bathroom, living room, dining room, or bedroom. If the home caregiver is not up to the physical challenge, he or she may not be a good fit for your loved one.

A Trial Day Is Essential

Qualifications, experience and education may be very important, but when it comes to finding the right person to provide home care for elderly, besides these, it is also the attitude towards the senior and a kind of “chemistry” between them that counts, so invite several candidates for a trial day and choose together with the senior the person who seems the best to you.

Do Not Forget to Monitor.

Your job does not end once you choose live-in care! Once hired, you still have to monitor the workflow. Therefore, talk to the senior, ask for their feedback and regularly talk to the person and ask for information about the care.

Set up a schedule to monitor the quality of the services the caregiver provides. This is especially important for family members. Do this by making personal contact with the home care and regular home visits with the elder, and getting periodic reports from the caregiver and the agency.

Consider hiring an independent geriatric care manager to monitor if you are unable to do it yourself. Watch for signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation and report suspicious activity to the agency and state authorities.

Have a backup plan in case the caregiver or the agency fails to follow through or problems arise.

Choosing a home care for your parent is an important decision that weighs heavily on most adult children but with the right planning and guidance, you can make the best choice for your family. Once you find the right person, make sure to follow up as care continues and to check in with your mother or father to ensure the caregiver is the perfect fit.