When you are ready to hire a caregiver you want make sure you find the best fit for you or your loved one. At Senior Care Connect we offer access to pre-screened caregivers, so you can have peace of mind . There is more you can add however to help find the right caregiver for you.
Here are some helpful tips to consider when selecting a caregiver :
Do an Interview: You always want to do an interview with the potential caregiver, as there are some things that become clearer in a conversation (vs. only “on paper” experience or education)
Personality/Temperament: Is the caregiver upbeat, cheery or positive? Given the aging process can be a challenge it can be helpful to have someone around who can light up the room or see the lighter side of things.
Interests: Given the amount of time the caregiver may be spending with you or your loved one, it can be helpful if they have similar interests or hobbies. Do they like sports, going for walks, dancing, singing, watching particular TV shows…? This can help make the time together more enjoyable.
Previous Employment: You may want to inquire as to why they are seeking new employment and why they left their last employer. If they were fired, this could be a red flag. Experience: You want to ensure to know more about the caregiver’s past experience. Have they previously been able to provide the type of care you are requesting? It is important to understand their skill sets and experience to assess their capabilities. You can even ask them to provide you a reference from a past employer/family.
Career Choice: Inquiring from a caregiver about why they chose their profession allows you to get a sense of what lead them to this career. Ideally you want to have someone who has a deep love for the work they do vs. someone who wants a job solely to pay bills
Written Agreement/Contract: Having a written contract can help to ensure both parties are in agreement to terms of employment, and reduce the likelihood of major disputes regarding employment terms in the future. Remember you are hiring a caregiver directly, so any discussions regarding care would need to be dealt with them directly (as an independent entity). As such it would be prudent to make sure your agreement is in writing.
Dealing with Conflict How does the caregiver deal with conflict? You can ask them to give you an example of how they dealt with conflict in the past. Alternatively you can also give them hypothetical scenarios to inquire how they would deal with the circumstances. For example: What would you do if mom doesn’t want to take her medications or doesn’t want to shower? You want to know the caregiver has the skill set to deal with challenging circumstances in a reasonable and respectful manner.
Transportation: Does the caregiver have a reliable means of transportation- whether driving, getting a ride or even public transit? This can give a sense of the likelihood of them encountering challenges in attending to work consistently and/or on time.
Other Employers: If you are hiring an in-home caregiver on part-time hours, they likely will also need to work elsewhere in order to have an adequate source of income for basic living expenses. In the current climate given COVID-19, you may want to know where else this caregiver may be working. Are they only working for you? Are they working with you and just one other family? Or are in multiple homes on a regular basis?
Safety: Making sure the environment is safe for both you/your loved one, as well as the caregiver is very important. As their employer you want to make sure they have safe working conditions so they can adequately do their job. As the caregiver’s direct employment, In order to be a partner in creating a safe environment you may also want to have PPE ready and available on site for your caregiver. For example, you can have a box masks right near the front door for when they enter, along with hand sanitizer.
These are just a few considerations to be mindful of when hiring your caregiver. Hopefully these were helpful!
And if you are looking to find that right caregiver- check out a listing of pre-screened caregivers by clicking- HERE!