What Should I Look For In 24 Hour Elderly Care ?
If you have an elderly parent, who requires 24-hour care, then you should know what to look for before beginning your search. Any senior, who needs 24-hour care, does not necessarily have to be admitted into an assisted living facility or a nursing home. You can provide the same level of care right at home, a fact that your elderly parent would definitely love. |
When you are looking for 24-hour elderly care, there are certain things you should keep an eye out for, so that you select the right type of care for your aging parent.
Check with your friends and neighbors about 24-hour elderly care. They will be able to give you referrals of agencies or independent providers that they may have used themselves for senior members in their families. Also, get in touch with your parent's doctor to see whether he/she can recommend an elderly care service. You can also contact senior centers and your neighborhood's agency on aging for referrals.
Once you have a list of providers, segregate them into full service agencies, independent providers and registries. This will allow you check the pros and cons of each type of service and then hire one that best suits the needs of your aging parent. In a full service agency, be prepared to pay more. The agency will already have a list of applicants, who have been screened. So, it becomes much easier for you to make a decision. You pay the agency for the 24 hour elderly care and the agency then pays the caregiver. This makes it simple for you and you do not have worry about taxes. However, make sure that you do a check on the agency, and see what procedures they have in place to handle issues like theft or elder abuse.
On the other hand, independent caregivers and registries require substantial work because you will end up hiring an employee, who you will be paying for services rendered. As the caregiver will be a complete stranger, it is necessary to conduct a background check on the person. You also have to take in consideration other factors, such as the caregiver leaving without a notice or falling ill.
Once you have short listed caregivers, it is time to conduct the interview. Be very sure for what type of help you are hiring the person. Meet the candidates in a public place initially. Do not bring them home. This will allow you gauge whether the person is suited for the type of care you are looking for and the public place will keep you and your parent's interests safe.
While conducting the interview, spell out the work precisely. Do not be vague. Ask the candidate questions, so that you can gauge his/her experience and abilities to do the work. Ask the candidates to furnish referrals and be sure to follow up on them. If you are hiring an independent caregiver, then conduct a background check on the person and also draw up a contract highlight the work and remuneration.
During the course of the interview if you find that a candidate is not suitable, it is best to cut short the interview and inform the person of the same. Keep searching till you find the right person for 24 hour elderly care.
If you are using an agency to hire a caregiver, make sure that you check with the agency what tasks the person can do and if there is additional work, how would the agency handle it and what would the financial implications be.
These are the things to look for when you are in the market for 24 elderly care. If you do your homework correctly, you will find someone good to take care of your aging and ailing parent.
More Articles :
Helpguide.org: Home Care Services for Seniors
https://helpguide.org/elder/senior_services_living_home.htm
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