Finding a Provider - A Brief Overview of Senior Home Care
While the first two include necessary services such as pre-screening and reference checking, the third non-medical in-home care Dallas option leaves the door wide open when you want to find a senior care provider, meaning you are responsible for most, if not all, of the required duties of being an employer. Full-service agencies cover many of the important aspects in hiring a caregiver, such as pre-screening, checking references, providing worker's compensation, handling payroll taxes, and carefully monitoring and supervising caregivers that are placed in a home.
Referral agencies take care of the initial aspects of the in-home care process, but once you find a senior care provider through the agency, your business relationship ends there and you are responsible for the rest. The referral agency will pre-screen and check references but does not supervise a caregiver in the home. However, you will be required to insure and supervise the caregiver--as well as handle payroll, worker's compensation, and all applicable taxes.
Private-hire caregivers are found through alternate channels like personal recommendations, online listings, and health care organizations. When will you need a caregiver in the home? What duties will the caregiver be required to perform? And, most importantly, what sort of specialized care will the patient need (2)? Now, it's your turn to ask the agency a few questions, such as: How long has the senior home care agency been providing home care services? What is the agency's screening process? Are references and criminal background checks required for each caregiver? How are emergencies handled by the caregiver during and after working hours? What is the supervision situation for caregivers in a home? What is the agency's policy on payroll and other applicable taxes for its employees? After you find a senior care provider but prior to hiring the individual, ask to meet with him or her for a brief introduction. At this point, you can interact with the caregiver to see if he or she would be a good fit (3).Hiring Privately Requires a Level of CommitmentIf you decide not to go through a full-service agency (or benefit from the basic screening method from a referral agency), you now have quite a few responsibilities on your plate in order to find a senior care provider that will prove reliable. You will have to conduct an interview, a criminal history background check, an elder abuse and sex offenders registry check, a reference check (request a minimum of three), a motor vehicle record check, communicable disease screening (it's recommended that caregivers receive a Hepatitis B vaccine prior to employment), as well as verify documentation of the caregiver's certification (4).Ideally, once you find a senior care provider you're happy with, you should provide the newly-hired caregiver with a detailed job description outlining job title, purpose, duties and responsibilities, necessary qualifications of caregivers, Americans with Disabilities job specifications, supervision of caregiver designation, and initial training requirements (5). Have the caregiver sign and date this document and keep a file saved in a safe place. All caregivers in a home should receive proper training, with you demonstrating the details of each responsibility as well as tasks that must be carried out on a daily basis.
