If you are a caregiver for an elderly family member, you’re at the forefront of your loved one’s care. You may be taking on some or all of the following duties, cooking, cleaning, running errands, and overseeing medication compliance.
With so much responsibility resting on your shoulders, it’s important to select a private duty caregiver that can adequately assist you with meeting the needs of you and your family members. In this article, we’ll discuss things to consider when selecting a private duty caregiver!
Find Someone With Experience
You may be wondering how to find a caregiver that has experience caring for people with memory loss. Start by asking the person you’re thinking of hiring if they’ve ever cared for people the particular illness that your loved one has.
Their resume might list their experience but it never hurts to ask about this before hiring them.
You can also find caregivers with experience caring for people who suffer from specific illnesses by contacting different local agencies and organizations.
Special Certifications or Licenses for Caregivers
Some caregivers are licensed professionals, while others are specialized in certain areas. This can be important if you have any specific needs that need to be met by your caregiver.
Making sure that the private duty caregiver you choose is licensed, is a good way of ensuring that they have had the prerequisite training to properly take care of your loved one.
Ask the Caregiver to Provide References
The most important thing to look for when selecting a caregiver is whether or not they have references. If the person you are considering hiring doesn’t have any, it’s best to move on and find someone who does.
References will give you insight into how the potential caregiver interacts with patients, their level of experience, and what kind of life skills they bring to the table.
If they don’t want anyone to know where they have worked that’s usually a bad sign too!
Working Hours
One of the things that you should do when you are interviewing a potential caregiver is to ask them what their hours are.
Home care agencies usually have set hours, so if you know what your agency’s hours are, it will be easier to find someone who fits in with your needs. If you decide not to hire from an agency you should discuss the hours they can work with the caregiver since this is extremely important.
Hire the Right Person
Hiring the right person for a caregiving position is essential. The person you hire needs to have a high level of skill and good references. If you are going to be letting someone in your home you want to know that they can be trusted.
This is especially important because you will be giving over a part of the care of your loved one to this individual. The only way to ensure that you have peace of mind about the situation is to take the time to do due diligence before hiring anyone.
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda
