Hiring an In-Home Caregiver: What You Don't Know Could Hurt You

Arranging in-home care is a win-win, but only if done wisely. Your family gets peace of mind and some relief, and your loved one gets to stay in his or her home longer. But please, follow Jennifer Luna Friedrich’s advice in her article, “Hiring an In-Home Caregiver: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You,” in a recent Caregiver.com newsletter.

From our family’s experience, I would emphasize caregiver training when choosing an agency. And I would also find out how the agency supervises its caregivers, and what types of reports caregivers are required to submit to the agency. As Jennifer Luna Friedrich points out, interviewing potential caregivers can be helpful. And what if the person who checks all your boxes quits suddenly?

For example, the main three boxes my mother wants checked are:

• Has a car
• Takes initiative to plan and cook healthy meals
• Is companionable

Her agency has often sent caregivers who, although kind and caring, do not drive or cook or want to be sociable with my mother. The agency will send office personnel to drive my mother to appointments if her caregiver is without a car. But on cooking and companionability issues, she seems to have no recourse. Her agency's failures have been hard on my mother. Yes, she’s still in her home, but she’s lonelier than she needs to be and still has the burden of managing more than she should.

Anyway, I urge you to ask a lot of questions. Most importantly, understand the definitions and legalities Jennifer Luna Friedrich explains so clearly in “Hiring an In-Home Caregiver: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You.”