10 Tips for Choosing the Right Caregiver for a Senior to Receive Home Care Services

These 10 tips will help you choose the right caregiver to receive home care services.

These tips are provided by Blessings4Ever, a Philadelphia home care agency.

Choosing a caregiver to take care of yourself or someone you love can be a very tough decision to make. Most people are unprepared to make this decision, especially if you require an aide from a home care agency who you are meeting for the first time. Thankfully, consumer-option home care in Pennsylvania allows the client to choose a family member or friend to serve as their caregiver. But even then, how do you choose? What should you look for?

Here are ten tips:

1. Determine your own needs. Do you need non-medical personal care, home maintenance, meal preparation, and help with bathing? Are you looking for more of a companion? You want to write down all of your needs that you have. When first joining Blessings4Ever, a Care Manager will complete an assessment. This information is extremely valuable for any home care agency in determining your level of care and also helpful in determining who you choose as a caregiver.

2. Write a small job description. Is there any specific training you'd like them to have? Do they need a driver's license? Should they be able to operate any durable medical equipment you may need? These are questions you want to answer. If you're interviewing a home care agency, make sure they provide these types of training.

3. What is non-negotiable? Make sure they are aware what you decide is unacceptable behavior.

4. Look in the right place for a caregiver. Ask around: faith family, family members, doctors, home care agencies. These are places that may be able to point you in the right direction.

5. Prepare questions to ask. Have a list for any prospective caregiver. If you don't know what types of questions to ask, call a home care agency or a referral source.

6. Consult friends and family members to help you make a decision.

7. Check references.

8. Make sure background checks are conducted. Most home care agencies conduct thorough background checks. Blessings4Ever always makes sure that background checks are run and updated every 2 years.

9. Confirm that they are licensed and bonded.

10. Monitor the services provided by the caregiver. This is critically important if you are a close friend or family member. Have a family member who has periodic conversations with the caregiver. Make sure someone else visits you frequently. Ask for reports from the caregiver.