No matter how much you want to be the one to take care of a loved ones needs at home, there will be times when it will be necessary to hire in home care. Knowing how to do it properly can help assuage any fears of bringing a “total stranger” into the home. It is not a process that can be rushed and if you follow these tips, it can be one of the best steps you can take to help get your loved one the type of care they need around-the-clock.

Look for Potential Candidates

If your loved one attends a church or a specific community, there might be someone there who would want to help with in home care who already knows them. Otherwise, you may have to rely on an in home care agency or put out an ad in a public space for a caregiver. There are also online communities, like Care.com, that can help you locate a caregiver. Interview them. Let your loved one be a part of the interview process. See if there is a personality match. Ask some questions about their favorite hobbies and interests.

Screen Them For Your Needs

Make sure you have an exact list of tasks that you need help with around the house. They should know if they will need to prepare meals, provide transportation, lancaster home care lift your loved one, give baths, and so on. If there are also medical needs, you will want to make sure they have proper certification to provide whatever in medical in home care that is required of them. Do they know how to administer CPR? What types of certifications do they have? They will need to know what their schedule is and meet that obligation. If they are residing in the home, they will still need to know when they will be “on duty” and when they are not required.

Vet Them As Much As Possible

You will need to call their references, run criminal background checks, ascertain their eligibility to work, and make sure they have the certifications they claim to have. This can be a lot of work and that’s  lancaster elder carewhy people tend to use a in home care agency to do all the background work necessary to get good help in the home.

Draw Up a Contract

The contract should be very clear on hourly rates, tasks, schedules, and living situations, if they will be residing in your home. If you don’t feel comfortable writing up a contract for this, look up a standard template online. An agency will use a standard contract. They can also provide a replacement easily should the caregiver fall ill or become unavailable suddenly.