Let’s face it. Inviting someone who is practically a stranger into a loved senior’s home to help care for them can be nerve-wracking. Finding an appropriate and trustworthy caregiver that you can feel comfortable with and that your loved one can feel safe with is not a decision to be taken lightly. When searching for an in-home caregiver, be sure to ask these questions:
Are home care workers employees of the agency or are they contractors (e.g., private individuals on a referral registry)? Hiring a caregiver through an agency gives you the added security of knowing the caregiver has been trained, has had a full criminal background check done, and will be be supervised and monitored by the agency’s management team. It also relieves you or your elderly loved one of being considered an employer with subsequent responsibility for paying taxes and withholdings on your new “employee.”
Are the agency and workers who come into your home bonded? If so, it means they are insured against theft in the unlikely event that something comes up missing.
Is the agency a member of any professional organizations? Oftentimes, high quality agencies will be members of professional organizations such as the National Private Duty Association, which ensures that the agency employs, trains, and supervises their caregivers.
How do agencies screen and perform background checks on their workers? Some agencies’ background checks are more thorough than others. Ask about that agency’s employee qualifications, drug screening, criminal history check, reference check, and driving record check.
Are workers supervised? It is always recommended that you choose an agency that supervises and monitors their caregivers. Be sure to ask what qualifications the supervisors have and what their backgrounds are. Higher educational degrees typically means better training programs at the employee level. This adds an even better layer of security to your choice of agency.
AAging Better In-Home Care does a complete FBI background check on all prospective employees so that we can see when and if they have a criminal record in any of the 50 states, not just Idaho. We also check at least two work-related references and run a driver’s license check. Our training programs are conducted by an RN with a Masters degree in nursing and we have been recognized as having one of the best trained staff in North Idaho. To learn more about AAging Better In-Home Care’s training programs, security measures and services, contact us today at (208) 777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls/Hayden areas, (208) 263-7889 in the Sandpoint/Priest River/Bonners Ferry areas, or (208) 784-1505 in the Kellogg/Pinehurst/Wallace areas.
