Taking care of older family members or the sick can be tiring if you have a busy schedule. This is why you may want to hire a caregiver to take care of your loved ones. However, it may not be easy to get the right person with hundreds to thousands of caregivers around you.
Below are steps to help you recruit the right in-home caregiver, worth a bang for your buck.
Create a Detailed Job Description
First, you need to determine the needs of your older adult. This will help you come up with a clear description. You will use the job description to screen different candidates and end up with someone who meets your needs and expectations.
Probably, the adult needs full-time care throughout the day. The person may need a caregiver to take them for a walk within the community frequently during the day. So, ensure you create a clear description of what the caregiver is expected to do and only hire the person when you feel they qualify for the job.
Do a Background Check and Screening
Whether you get a referral from a family member, friend, or colleague, you should never hire a caregiver before doing a thorough background check and screening.
Just because the caregiver worked for someone you know doesn’t make them the right person for the in home senior care. Things might have changed, and the person may not have a clean record, after all.
It can be risky to hire someone who doesn’t have a clean record to care for your loved ones. So, take your time and screen the potential candidate before hiring them. If the potential caregiver is not willing to go for a drug screening, you may need to reconsider your decision and go for someone else.
Determine Your Budget
Different caregivers charge different fees based on various elements such as years of experience, past work, your location, and the kind of job available. Never assume that what your friend or neighbor paid will be similar to your proposed budget.
Draft a rough budget depending on the tasks available and discuss the possibilities of accepting the payment with your potential caregiver. The charges range between $15 to $30 per hour, but you can still get a better rate depending on the agent you’re using.
The most important consideration is to hire someone you can afford without draining financially in the long run.
Conduct Multiple Interviews
Before you get the right person, you may need to go through a series of interviews. This can be the most draining and time-consuming part, but it is worth the time and effort. You want to be sure of the person you will hire.
Try to meet with the potential candidate one-on-one and assess the candidate thoroughly. Determine their communication skills and body language and see if the person fits your description.
You may want to meet the person three to four times through a series of physical and virtual interviews, depending on the distance, time, and availability.
Ask as many questions as possible and only move ahead with the person if you feel satisfied with the answers and feedback after the interview. This does not only benefit you, but it also gives the caregiver a chance to start interacting with you and learning about your personality before they begin the job.
Check References and Experience
No one wants to hire an inexperienced caregiver because it comes with many responsibilities and, sometimes, regrets. Someone who does not have adequate experience will need on-job training. This may take time before the person catches up with your expectations.
So, hire someone with several years of experience. You can ask for references from past employers. Call the former employers and find out who they are, their past relationship, credibility, and integrity.
Never trust what the person tells you until you find out from those they worked with. You may never be sure whether the person is truthful or not. You also want to be sure that you have the right information from credible sources. Only proceed with the hiring if you get positive reviews.
The Bottom Line
Hiring a credible, reliable, experienced, and well-behaved in-home caregiver should be your primary focus. This can take you time, but you will be sure of getting the right person worth your time and money. If you do not know where to start, you can get in touch with caregiver agencies around you to help you hire the right person.