Hiring Help
Overview
Hiring some in-home help, when you have the resources, can be of great assistance. The following module is based on materials from “Someone Who Cares: A Guide to Hiring an In-Home Caregiver,” published by CJE SeniorLife’s Center for Applied Gerontology, 1998. Some of the previous tools under “Managing Day to Day Health Care” may also be helpful for home care workers.
Preparation
- Assess your loved one’s needs.
- Determine the type of in-home care you desire—“home
care” can include:
- Companions
- Personal Care Attendants (bathing, dressing, feeding)
- Homemakers (light cleaning, household management, personal care)
- Chore Housekeepers or Handymen (heavy cleaning, maintenance)
- Home Health Aides, Certified Nurse Assistants and Nurse’s Aides
- Identify sources that are likely to have the type of worker
you are seeking—home care workers can be found by contacting:
- Social Service Agencies
- Homemaker/Home Care Agencies
- Home Health Care Agencies
- Nurse Agencies
- Individual workers through home care registries, employment agencies, advertisements, or word of mouth.
- Explore options for paying for services—you will most
likely need to pay privately for home care but other financial
resources may include:
- Medicaid
- Private Long Term Care Insurance
- Medicare or HMO’s (pays only skilled health care)
- Prepare a “job description” based on the abilities and needs of the person you are caring for, as well as your needs.
- Prepare questions for interviewing applicants and checking references.
- Clearly communicate employee/employer responsibilities up front.
- Review your home care worker’s performance and provide feedback.
- Be aware of the IRS regulations for paid help in the home; call 800.829.3676 or review IRS Publication 937 or 926 at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html.
Items to Consider and Downloadable Worksheets
Other Resources
Visit the Hiring Help section of the Resources page for additional information.
Contact the geriatric care specialist with your questions and comments regarding the Hiring Help Module by emailing CAREgivinghelp@cje.net or by calling 773.381.6008.
It is important to remember the geriatric care specialist may not be able to respond immediately to your message. It may take two to three days before receiving a response.
Many questions submitted to the geriatric care specialist via email or voicemail message will be posted and responded to through the CAREgivinghelp message board. If you do not want your question and its response posted on the message board, please make your wish clear in your email or voicemail message to the geriatric care specialist.