When looking for home care assistance in the USA, finding a professional caregiver for your aging loved one might seem as easy as typing “Home Care Assistance Near me” online and hire the one that appears on the top. However, this straightforward approach is not safe.

In-home caregiving services for the elderly are complex as they range from assisting with a few things to helping with almost everything. So, we are sharing this guide to help you hire the right caregiver for the elderly in your family.

1.Enlist the Caregiving Needs of the Elderly

The process of hiring reliable home care assistance starts with assessing the caregiving needs of the elderly. Categorize their caregiving needs in three groups:

Health care needs: 1. What health conditions does the elderly suffer from?
2.  Are their health conditions serious? If yes, are there chances that they might face a medical emergency?
3. How often do they need to perform tests and see the doctor?
4. Do they need their health and behavior to be monitored?
5. Do they need medication management, intravenous injections, or other health care such as physical therapy or massages?
Personal care needs: 1. Does the elderly need help with grooming, such as hair styling and nail cutting?
2. Does the elderly need assistance with bathing, brushing teeth, and hygiene?
3. Does the elderly have mobility issues and need help with safely getting in or out of bed and around the home?
4. Does the caregiver need to help with meal preparation and feed the elderly?
5. Is the assistance needed for toileting needs and continence care for the elderly?
6. Does the elderly face issues with getting dressed and undressed?
7. Does the caregiver need to take the elderly for strolls every day?
Household care needs: 1. Does the caregiver need to do light cleaning tasks?
2. Is the caregiver required to do grocery and essentials shopping for the elderly?
3. Does the elderly need assistance for the upkeep of the home?

2.Develop the Job Description and Contract for the In-Home Caregiver You Need

Once you are aware of what needs your aging loved one has, you can precisely prepare a job description and identify whether you need a caregiver who is a Certified Nurse Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse, or someone who has basic experience of caregiving.

Also, consider whether the caregiver may need to drive and provide help with getting in and out of the vehicle. While the former must have a valid driver’s license, the latter should be strong enough to support and lift the elderly if and when necessary.

Then, develop a job contract that should include important details like wages, payment date, work hours, payment mode, employee’s social security number, complete job description, unacceptable activities or behavior, termination details, vacations allowed, and dated signatures of employer and employee.

3.Know Where to Look and Conduct the Interview

At present, you have various means right from agencies to referrals to hire a caregiver. If you are looking for an easy and safe way to hire Home Care Assistance in the USA, you can also install apps specifically designed to connect care recipients with caregivers.

To find senior caregivers, you can install the Bloom app. This easy-to-use senior care online app provides a seamless and reliable interface to match caregivers with the elderly. Once you find the match, interview before finalizing a caregiver for the elderly.

Some questions to ask caregiver during the interview: 1. How long have you worked as an in-home caregiver for seniors?
2. Are you a certified, registered, and/or licensed nurse?
3. Have you received specialized training to provide proper senior care?
4. Can you share your past work experience?
5. Are you willing to perform the mentioned duties in the job description?
6. What activities would you recommend for my aging loved one?
7. How would you deal with the sulky behavior of the elderly?
8. What did you like and not like at your previous caregiving jobs?
9. Who will take care of the elderly in your absence? Or, will we need to look for respite care?
10. What do you like about working as a senior caregiver? What are your happiest moments at work?

Before you hire an in-home caregiver for a senior family member, please complete the background verification process. If you are hiring Home Care Assistance from an agency, check if the agency is insured and bonded and how it resolves should any issue arise with the caregiver. Plus, ensure that the elderly find the caregiver compatible.