Beyond basic home care, caregivers play a vital role in improving a person’s quality of life. This is why it’s important to pay extra attention to the hiring process for caregivers.
To date, there is a 19.2 percent increase in the prevalence of caregiving. This equates to over 53 million adult caregivers present in the country.
With this great number of choices, how will you choose the best one for your loved ones? Keep reading to find out how to choose the best caregiver for seniors!
Evaluate Your Loved One’s Needs
Your loved one’s health condition should be your primary basis. This will help you determine the specific qualifications you want from a caregiver.
In like manner, it’s also important to assess the physical needs of your loved ones. Does your loved one have difficulty in daily chores such as cooking and cleaning? Does the patient need a hand in bathing and changing?
Such details will give you a clear view of the functions that you expect from your caregiver. For instance, your loved one has diabetes and a weekly appointment that he needs to attend. In these cases, you’ll need someone who has enough knowledge on diabetes who also knows how to drive.
It’s also important to ask the concerned persons what they need from the caregiver. There may be things that your loved one finds hard to do that you don’t know about.
List down what you need from your caregiver. Then proceed to analyze which type of caregiver meets your demands.
Types of Caregivers
If your loved one needs help in general daily activities such as bathing, get personal care aides. These caregivers can render light home care services such as housekeeping and cooking. They also prove to be a great companion for seniors.
While Home Health Aids (HHAs) are ideal for seniors that need minor health monitoring. HHAs render the same services that personal care aides give. However, unlike them, HHAs can track the condition of your loved one via their vital signs.
Don’t hesitate to hire a licensed or certified nursing assistant. This is vital if you need advanced medical services such as setting up medical equipment. Aside from the services listed above, they also check infections and administer treatments.
Looking for a caregiver for seniors who can administer tube feedings, shots, and IVs? Someone who you can train to help with occupational, physical, and speech therapy? A licensed practical nurse best fits your needs.
You should opt to hire registered nurses for seniors with severe medical conditions. They’re the most qualified medical caregivers as they own a diploma and have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. This ensures that they’re trained in responding to medical needs.
Consider Future Events When Hiring a Caregiver for Seniors
Most people neglect to factor in long-term conditions when hiring a caregiver. This often leads to the need to hire a more capable caregiver, which means extra work and cost for the consumer. As such, never forget to think ahead when listing your needs.
For instance, your loved one has Alzheimer’s disease. In this case, pan out the extra services that your loved one may need when their condition worsens.
Make sure to look for someone who not only knows how to provide basic home care. They should also know how to deal with Alzheimer’s patients when their conditions worsen.
How Will You Hire Your Potential Caregiver?
After establishing which specific caregiver you need, consider how you’ll hire the caregiver. If you have Medicaid, enroll in a Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).
This program enables you to hire and direct caregivers according to your needs. The best thing about a CDPAP program is that it allows you to hire family members and friends as caregivers.
You can also opt to use an agency to hire a caregiver if you don’t have enough time to spare. Established agencies will be the ones who’ll handle the whole hiring process.
Care Giver’s Experience, License, and Other Qualifications
Another thing to consider when hiring is senior care experience. You’d want someone who has at least two to three years of experience with a patient/s that have similar conditions as your loved one.
You’ll also need someone who’s well knowledgeable and competent in taking care of seniors. As such, hire experienced and licensed senior caregivers.
The best way to look for an experienced caregiver is to ask your family and friends who hired one before. Talk to them and ask their opinion on whether you should give their former employee a call.
Further, conduct a background check to ensure that your potential caregiver is trustworthy. Cross-check their experience, license, and other specified qualifications with the references they provided.
If you’re using an agency, this may be unnecessary as they usually perform thorough background checks on their caregivers. However, this doesn’t mean that all caregivers within an agency provide great services. We recommend reading online reviews on the agency to grasp the quality of care that their caregiver gives.
Look For Positive Bond between Senior and Caregiver
If possible, involve the concerned senior in the hiring process. Get their opinion on the candidate to help narrow down the list of your potential caregivers. Afterward, look into how well they work with your loved ones.
Let your potential caregiver meet the concerned senior and allow them to interact. Observe whether they understand each other well and get along. If you see a positive bond, proceed to hire the caregiver.
Hire a Caregiver for Seniors Today!
The process of hiring a caregiver for seniors can be challenging as you’d want to get the best there is. It also raises anxiety, especially for first-timers. Make sure to bear these considerations to find the most competent and dependable caregivers for seniors.Interested in reading more articles such as this one? Check out our website to discover more helpful articles like this!