As our loved ones age, it can be challenging to balance our lives and their well-being at all times. This is especially true when you’re raising kids, working full-time, and going to school. Before long, you realize you have to make a choice. If you continue doing it all, inevitably something will go wrong. You don’t want to feel like you’re giving more importance to one thing over the other. When people get to this point, they realize that the best option is to hire someone else to help care for their parents. Often, this is the only way for us to go about our normal day to day necessities or routines.
If you plan on keeping your parents in the home, it only comes down to two options. You could hire a private caregiver or seek the help of a home care agency. If you’ve never done either, it can be challenging to know which option you should go with. Here, we’ll address what you should know about hiring a private caregiver. In addition, we’ll cover the benefits of choosing a home care agency.
Hiring a Private Caregiver
If you’re thinking about entrusting your loved ones in the care of a private caregiver, consider the following:
Background Checks
It may seem enticing to forgo background checks when hiring a private caregiver, but don’t do it. While conducting a background check is time-consuming and costly, the cost of not doing so is even greater. Background checks reveal essential details, such as if the person is qualified to be caring for your loved one. An interview alone should not be the sole judge of character.
Liability and Insurance
Because this caregiver is working independently for you, rarely do they have their own insurance. If a caregiver gets injured while working for you, you might get stuck paying medical bills and lost wages. This can take a toll on your expenses. Therefore, it’s important to consider the what-ifs of the possible costs that may arise with hiring a private caregiver.
Contracts
One thing that a lot of people forget about when hiring a private caregiver is a contract. In circumstances like this, a contract is needed to demonstrate that there’s a full understanding of the business relationship. For instance, do you mind if they have guests over at the home? What about if they can receive gifts from your loved one without your permission? These are all things you’d need to consider before hiring a private caregiver.
Effective Management and Communication
Another thing people don’t consider is that a private caregiver will require effective management and communication. Every family has its own set of terms and demands they’d like a caregiver to follow. However, how do you ensure that you effectively got your message across? This is especially true if you’ve never really had to manage anyone before. Having a third party, like a home care agency, can make this a lot easier.
When working with an agency, you are laying your demands outright so that the agency can match you with the best caregiver. When you communicate your requirements and terms to them, they’ll relay that message to the best-fit caregiver assigned to your case. Plus, if one caregiver isn’t a great match, a home care agency can find another one for you.
Working with a Home Care Agency
Now that you know what goes into hiring a private caregiver, we’ll explore the other option. Here are some of the benefits of working with a home care agency to meet your caregiving needs:
Verifying Information
When you work with a reputable home care agency, you can expect that each employee has had a background check. They also take the time to verify each reference and review their past employment history. The latter is important as it helps agencies determine who would be the best caregiver for you. Lastly, home care agencies will stay up-to-date on their employees’ certifications.
Replacing Caregivers if Needed
Imagine that you’re about to walk into work. You look at your phone and see a text from your caregiver, letting you know they will be unable to make it to their shift with about five minutes to spare. If you hired a private caregiver, you are suddenly faced with the need to skip work. If this isn’t feasible, you might have to find a caregiver in a short timespan that may be less qualified.
Now here’s another scenario. What if the private caregiver you hired is turning out not to be a good fit for the job? Maybe they forget certain instructions or use methods you don’t agree with. If you let them go, you’ll then have the task of finding another qualified caregiver, which is time-consuming.
One of the most significant benefits of working with a home care agency is that they will usually send in a substitute caregiver. This saves you in situations where you’d otherwise have to call off work or look for another caregiver. In addition, the substitute your home care agency recommends will likely be just as qualified.
Payroll
When working with a home care agency, you do not have to worry about maintaining payment duties, taxes, and so on. The agency takes care of monetary compensation for its caregivers, along with all the necessary tax preparations and withholdings. All you have to do is ensure that your loved one is getting the proper care while you’re away!
Select a Quality Home Care Agency
We all want the best care for our loved ones while carrying on with life’s obligations and necessities. However, deciding on what exactly is the best home care option is challenging. Though it may seem appealing to hire a private caregiver, the benefits of a home care agency are far greater. A home care agency gives you more reassurance of the caregivers’ certifications and background. You will feel better knowing that a home care agency will always have a trusting caregiver available to give you peace of mind while away! If you’re looking for a home care agency with all of the qualities we’ve mentioned above, look no further than Community Home Health Care.
Contact Community Home Health Care to request a compassionate caregiver today.