When looking for senior home care services, ask these questions to find the best care solution.
Finding the right care solution for a senior family member is one of the most important and daunting decisions you’ll face. Ensuring the safety and security of the senior is paramount, but there are a number of other considerations as well, for example, whether the older adult’s quality of life and capacity to thrive and remain independent will be a top priority.
AARP provides a helpful checklist of questions to ask when investigating senior home health care options, such as:
- Is the agency licensed?
- What services can be provided?
- How long before services can start?
- Are caregivers trained and knowledgeable?
- Is there a process set up for running background checks, bonding and insuring staff, supervision?
- What happens if a caregiver doesn’t show up on time (or at all)?
- Can a new caregiver be requested if you don’t like the one assigned?
- Are there any client testimonials or reviews you can read?
- Will the senior receive a customized plan of care?
- How long has the agency been in business?
It is also crucial to confirm that the caregiver is a hired employee from an established agency, instead of a contractor referred by a registry service, or an individual hired through a classified ad, because:
- Taxes as well as other necessary federal and state requirements are covered. Hiring a caregiver independently makes YOU the employer, meaning you are accountable for all taxes, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, etc., and, you’d be liable for medical as well as other expenses in the event the caregiver were to become hurt on the job. A professional home care agency assumes the role of employer for its caregivers, alleviating these concerns for older adults and their loved ones.
- Full vetting and supervision of caregivers increases safety. Regrettably, the danger of exploitation and abuse of older adults is heightened when hiring an independent caregiver, whether financial, physical, or emotional. Reputable home care agencies offer supervision as well as comprehensive background and reference checks, bonding and insurance, along with other safeguards to protect senior loved ones. Not only that, but in the event an older adult’s primary caregiver became ill or took a break for vacation, an equally qualified and dependable replacement caregiver would be provided.
- Initial and ongoing training contribute to caregiver excellence. Agencies that provide thorough training for their care staff ensure that skills are always as sharp as they possibly can be, and that any new techniques established in the industry can be used – meaning a heightened degree of care over an independent caregiver without the same opportunities for professional development.
At Live Free Home Health Care, we are pleased to meet all of these criteria and many more. As a proud member of the Briggs Home Care family of agencies, our trusted home health care in Concord, NH is here to meet the diverse needs of our clients – from companionship and light housekeeping assistance to care for chronic and emerging health issues, and everything in between. We take satisfaction in ensuring our team receives ongoing caregiver training, to help you to feel comfortable and confident in knowing our caregivers are top notch and continually improving their skills, while offering the safe, reliable, and compassionate care necessary to make life the very best it can be.
Email or call us at 603-217-0149 to allow us to answer any other questions you might have about our top-rated home health care in Concord, NH and the surrounding communities, or to inquire about a complimentary in-home assessment to boost quality of life for a senior you love.