Many elderly people are physically and mentally capable of taking care of themselves, but many might have problems limiting their self-reliance or mobility. As busy adults, we’re often unable to personally tend to their needs. We might also not be equipped to do so if they suffer from a medical condition that requires specialized care. Having a caregiver to rely on is the best option in many situations.
Of course, the person you employ should be a good fit. To hire the right caregiver, make sure there is a personality match between them and your parent, follow up on their references, conduct interviews, and run a background check.
Verify Experience
It’s important to do some digging on your own, even if you’re hiring through an agency, which makes sure their caregivers have proper credentials and training. Obviously, people specialized in childcare won’t be optimal for taking care of a senior. They need relevant experience in caring for people with issues similar to those your parent has. If your parent has dementia, the caregiver absolutely must be experienced in caring for such patients.
Check Them
Once you’ve narrowed your options down to two or three professionals, don’t be afraid to snoop a little. Look for any social media profiles or reviews on Yelp. Their social media could offer insight into their interests and hobbies if their profiles are public. Look at what they share, their status updates, and any photos. Objectionable content and forms of racism or sexism can definitely motivate you to weed them out.
How to Avoid Personality Clashes
Excellent credentials are no guarantee for a good connection with your parent. You want to make sure their personalities match, so they get along well. They’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Trust your intuition on this. Ask them about their interests and how they deal with conflict. You can do this during the interview, which we’ll get to later. Ideally, have your parent sit in on the interview and ask questions of their own.
Contact References
Ask for at least three personal references and follow up by calling each one. The first step is to have their employment term confirmed. Caring for an older person is not a short-term commitment. Ask the references what they liked and didn’t like about the caregiver. Contact references even if the interview went well.
Additional questions to ask might be whether they’d recommend them, how they did on the job, and if they would hire them again. It might be interesting to know why they stopped working for the individual whom they provided as a reference.
Consider a Professional Background Check
There are screening options beyond a simple Google and social media search. A professional background screening service will pull up your candidate’s employment history. You’ll find out about all the places where they lived or worked. This is an important step to take because the elderly are at the greatest risk for fraud and abuse.
Sign a Contract
It’s tempting to hire someone “under the table” so you can both save on taxes and fees, and people who hire through friends or acquaintances do this all the time. However, having a written contract will help minimize tension if there’s ever a conflict going forward. The contract should specify job details, such as the rate, expected job duties, scheduled hours, vacation, transport-related aspects, and overtime or work on weekends.
Generally, caregivers are paid per hour. Payroll services can help you with payment issues, but they tend to be expensive, costing users thousands over the time they will need a care provider. It will pay off to invest time in working out the payment details on your own.
Final Thoughts
You need to make sure you’ve hired the right person, considering how important this job is. The caregiver should treat your parent with respect. People typically start by contacting agencies, which pre-screen candidates and confirm their experience. Still, it won’t hurt to ask around. Some of your friends must have elderly parents too, so they might be able to recommend someone.
In some cases, it’s possible to share a caregiver with them. If you choose to do that, you need to be careful when creating the caregiver’s schedule, so no conflicts between you and the other client arise.
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