In my last article entitled “Be An Educated Consumer Before Hiring A Caregiver” I shared the importance of ensuring that a person has received a comprehensive assessment to identify their needs, and that the information from the assessment be used to outline a written care plan (road map) that focuses on the individual's current needs (e.g. dementia, high blood pressure, unsteady balance and gait), required treatment (e.g. medical, psychiatric, physical therapy), housing requirements (home with assistance, short term rehabilitation), activities of daily living (e.g. bathing, dressing, meal preparation), socialization, and optimal utilization of community resources; to name a few.
Now that we have the care plan in place, the next step is to locate a caregiver who has the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience, and personality to help meet the client’s unique needs.
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Before you decide to retain any person or agency it’s important to ensure that you do your due diligence in checking their reputation, references, as well as any complaints that may have been filed.
You may also want to check with the CT Department of Public Health and the State of CT Department of Consumer Protection, to verify if an agency is either licensed or registered.
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Once you have located several potential agencies, the next step is to set up interviews. It’s important to interview the agencies and the caregiver candidates, as well as to check all references.
Sampling of Questions To Ask An Agency
To follow are some of the many questions you may want to ask a homecare agency before considering retaining their services.
1. Is your agency a registry or a homecare agency?
2. If you’re a homecare agency, are you licensed or registered? If yes, by whom?
3. Is your agency bonded? Are your workers bonded?
4. How long have you been in business in this area?
5. What are your fees? Do you have a sliding fee scale?
6. What do your fees include? Are there additional costs, such as for travel or home evaluation?
7. Who pays the worker?
8. How will I be billed - by the hour, week, or month?
9. Who supervises the worker? How often does the supervisor visit the home?
10. How do you handle concerns or complaints?
11. Whom do I call if the worker doesn’t come to work? Will you find a temporary replacement, if needed?
12. What is your procedure if there is an emergency in the home and you can’t reach me?
13. How do you protect client confidentiality?
14. Do you do a criminal background checks and driver license checks on employees?
Sampling of Questions To Ask The Caregiver Candidates
To follow are some of the many questions you may want to ask a caregiver candidate before considering retaining their services.
1. How did you originally become interested in working as a companion / caregiver?
2. Tell me about your past home care experiences.
3. What kind of education and training have you had?
4. Why did you leave your last position?
5. Do you currently provide care for any clients?
6. How flexible is your schedule?
7. How much time can you commit to this position?
8. Are there any duties in this position that you are unwilling or unable to do?
9. Are you willing to do household chores such as cooking or light housekeeping?
10. Will you be able to drive my loved one to appointments? Can you run the errands?
11. What will you do if you are ill and cannot come to work?
12, What will you do if there is an emergency? Have you handled emergency situations before?
13. How would you deal with someone who may resist your care?
14. When would you be available to start working?
Sampling of Questions To Ask the Applicant’s References
To follow are some of the many questions you may want to ask an applicant’s references, before considering retaining the applicant’s services.
1. How long have you known the applicant?
2. Describe the applicant’s job description when he or she was with you?
3. Did the applicant get along well with the client and family members?
4. What are the applicant's strengths and weaknesses?
5. Did you trust the applicant?
6. Why did the applicant leave?
7. Would you rehire the applicant?
A Written Agreement
Once you have conducted all your interviews and reference checks, it will be time for you and your family to decide which caregiver and/ or which agency best meet the needs of the client and the family. It’s important to have the client involved in the interview and selection process if possible, to ensure that the client is comfortable and able to buy into having outside assistance.
Before you retain the services of any individual or agency, it’s important that you have a written agreement that outlines the terms of your working relationship.
Here are some topics that you may want to consider including in your agreement.
- Who is the client (e.g. senior / person with special needs, spouse, adult child, conservator, or other)
- Confidentiality
- Specific services to be provided and by whom
- Hours of service
- Fees and payment terms
- How and when will billing take place
- Date the services will begin
- Procedure for handling concerns and complaints
- Caregiver supervision
- On-site home visits by a nurse or supervisor
- Procedure if a caregiver does not report to the client’s home to work
- What if the caregiver is sick
- Agency’s Plan of Care development
- Use of the client’s car by the caregiver
- Responsibilities of the agency
- Responsibilities of the caregiver
- Responsibilities of the client and family
- Verification of a caregiver’s physical and vaccines
- Cancellation of services
Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of individuals and families taking the time to do their due diligence in locating the best possible caregiver to meet the unique of a senior or person with special needs.
If you feel overwhelmed by this process, or If the history of your relationship with the person needing services has been a difficult one, you may want to seek assistance from a professional (e.g. certified case manager, doctor, or therapist).
A professional can help you map out a strategy for moving forward.
Keep in mind that in order for there to be success moving forward, you will need to obtain cooperation and buy-in from the care recipient, as well as other members of the family.
Our next article will focus on “Using Medicines Safely”.
The Caregiver Resource Center
The Caregiver Resource Center assists seniors, people with special needs and their families in planning for and implementing ways to allow for the greatest degree of independence, safety and quality of life.
We are available 7 days a week by appointment, and 24/7 for emergencies. All of our services are individually designed to meet the unique needs of the client and their family.
For more information, or to request an initial consultation, please contact:
Linda Ziac, LPC, LADC, BCPC, CEAP, CCM, CDP
The Caregiver Resource Center
Greenwich, CT
203-861-9833
www.CaregiverResourceCenter.com
Disclaimer
The information in this article is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient provider relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
Please consult your health care provider for an appointment, before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
To learn more about health and mental topics and to become a more educated self advocate, please subscribe to this blog or visit us at www.CaregiverResourceCenter.com
