Caregivers provide in home care services to help seniors and disabled adults with daily living tasks. They also offer companionship and other quality of life services. They can take patients to doctor’s appointments, hair salons and social engagements.
Many communities have sliding scale or low cost home care through specialized funding. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to learn more.
Background Checks
Caregivers work with vulnerable people, including children and the elderly. They need to be trustworthy and reliable. A criminal background check is the first step in ensuring that. A good background checks company will perform a variety of searches that comply with state laws and professional standards. The company will notify the applicant and get authorization before conducting a search. It will also obtain the job candidate’s full name, birth date, and address. It will also check professional licenses and degrees.
Many states have specific requirements for caregivers, including checking for criminal convictions and contacting state child abuse and neglect registries. Depending on state regulations, the background check may also include searches for civil restraining orders filed in the county where the applicant lives or worked previously.
Some applicants lie about their past employment or educational accomplishments on resumes and applications. An education verification checks shows the schools an applicant attended and whether they hold the degrees they claim.
References
Your agency must have a solid system in place to verify that your caregivers can meet your clients’ care needs. Ask for a list of references and contact those people to learn more about the provider’s skills, experience, and background. You should also require all caregivers to wear uniforms or scrubs while working in the client’s home. This will help your agency’s staff to differentiate among the different caregivers and promote consistency in your services.
Invest in ongoing training for your caregivers to ensure they understand their job responsibilities. In addition, hire a dedicated person to answer your office’s phones after hours so that clients can contact someone for scheduling issues or concerns.
Bridging the generation gap between your clients and caregivers is a crucial step to providing meaningful care. Encourage your care staff to follow up with clients after their shifts to assess compatibility and record any improvements.
Insurance
Clients and families who hire caregivers independently often find it difficult to get ahold of their employer if they have questions about billing, scheduling, or other issues. As a result, they often contact family members or the caregiver themselves, which can lead to frustration and misunderstandings.
caregiver agency near me offer peace of mind that the caregivers they provide have been screened, criminal background checked and drug tested. They also carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation.
In addition to standard home health aide services, many caregiver agencies offer specialty training for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. This specialized training provides clients with the best possible care. It also helps caregivers build confidence in their skills, as well as offering a career path for advanced training. These specializations help your agency stand out from competitors and attract new clients.
Fees
A home care agency charges daily rates for caregiver services. These are based on the number of hours or days your loved one requires care, as well as allowances for breaks and rest. The fees are often covered by long-term care insurance, Medicare Advantage plans, or private pay.
A big benefit to using an agency is that the workers are prescreened and likely have relevant experience. Agencies can also provide backup care if your loved one needs emergency coverage due to illness or a vacation departure.
A downside is that you have more responsibilities and less control when hiring a caregiver from an agency, versus a person referred to you by a friend or professional registry. The agency has the final say over whether a worker is fired for misconduct, for example. Also, the agency is responsible for payroll, liability insurance, workmen’s compensation insurance and unemployment insurance. Ask the agency to send you a written packet about their services and fees.