A caregiver is an important companion for your parent and can support them with everything from bathing and light housekeeping, to meal preparation, prescription pick-ups and transportation to and from doctor’s appointments.
If you have determined that having additional outside support to help you care for your parents, you might struggle with where to start to find an outside service and even one you can trust. Following are some important considerations to get the process started.
- Caregivers can be found through personal referrals, but oftentimes it is easier to go through a reliable referring service that handles the background checks to ensure that the caregiver you hire has been carefully vetted.
- Ask your parents Doctor. Most medical professionals have had long term relationships with caregivers and can provide recommendations on companies or individuals that would best serve your parent’s needs.
- If you hire a caregiver directly, you will want to be certain you understand the liability associated with employing a caregiver, particularly if this person will be driving your loved one to appointments.
- You will want to hire a company that has caregivers who are bonded, insured and professionally trained. If your parents require a higher degree of medical care and monitoring of certain health conditions, you will want to hire a caregiving company that can provide staffing that has more in-depth medical training.
- If you are hiring a company, ask for recommendations. Check them out online. Call actual clients that have used their services to see what their experience was like.
- Ask questions and meet regularly. Listen to your parent and then talk with the caregiver you bring on board. Make sure you are asking them questions about their daily care and meet with them face-to-face. Be there the first few times the new caregiver is with your parents to help ease and build the relationship between all parties.
There are many things you can do to find the right caregiver for your parents and their specific needs. For more information or if you have any questions about the care your parents need or currently have, contact a local FirstLight Home Care office.