Having an elderly family member, or a family member with disabilities, living by themselves can be nerve-wracking. You may be feeling worried, filled with guilt, or visiting them every day to see how they’re doing and if they need anything. Hiring a home health aide will help you relieve these fears. They will go to their home and take care of them as many days as you would like for them to. This may be something new to you so it’s important to take to consider certain things when hiring a home health aide such as finding the best one, the length of time they have been a home health aide, the cost, background, the number of days per week you need them to be there, policies, and supervising.
The first thing to take into consideration is reviews. You need to make sure you pick a good person that will be entering your home. For someone to enter your loved one’s home, they have to be honest and trustworthy. If you are searching online, read the reviews before you pick someone. References are the best. Those are the people that will give you the truth. Before hiring someone, call or meet with their references. You may have to speak to every person you find until you get all your questions answered. By going through a company, they will be able to find you a caregiver for you. It would be someone that’s highly reputable with their company.
While you are looking into hiring a home health aide, it is important to find out how long they have been providing care in people’s homes. The more experienced they are, the more they know what they’re doing. Someone that has had more than three years of experience would be great for a loved one. It would make you feel more comfortable. It would also help if they told you what they would be doing as their home health aide. The more the caregiver tells you about their duties, the more you’ll understand. You will also get a feeling of relief because if they don’t know what they’re doing, then it would make you less likely to hire them.
Cost is a very important thing to consider. You may already have a budget in mind. Ask the home health aide what their price is. If you’re hiring them through a company, then they will have a set price. Compare different home health aides because their prices may be different. Compare companies as well to see how you pay for it. The companies may have you pay them, and then they’ll pay the caregivers. However, if you choose to go with an individual, you will pay them directly. You could probably write a check or pay cash but you can also check to see if insurance is accepted. If it is, ask them which kind of insurances they accept.
Ask each home health aide you speak with what their background is. How much experience have they had? Did they go to school? Which school did they go to and the degree they graduated with? These all may seem like silly questions but you are putting all your trust into one person to care for your loved one. You have to make sure they have the right qualifications in your mind or you will move on to someone else. Ask a company if a background check can be done on the person coming into your home. It’s important to take extra precautions and be safe in your choosing.
Be upfront with your home health aide. No secrets. Let them know the number of days you’re looking for someone to take care of your loved one. The aide will either agree with you or there may be a scheduling conflict. This is also the perfect time to ask how many hours you need them to work or the number of hours they are available to work. Either way, find out everything before you hire them. Find out if they have anything going on that will prevent them from working for you.
When hiring through a company, ask them about their policies. They may have some paperwork for you to fill out. Read it carefully and make sure you agree with everything. They may have rules for you to follow and for the health aide to follow. They will also have sick policies in place. Ask them about visitor policies as well. These are some of the things you have to communicate to your loved one’s health aide and also set up some sort of agreement with them.
Supervising is a big deal. Let the home health aide know that you would like to supervise them in your loved one’s home. This will give you a chance to see how they work. You get to see what they do and you get to see the health aide vibe with your loved one. You can see that chemistry and tell if they like their new home nurse. You also get to see the attitude the caregiver has. See if you can start the health aide on a trial basis to see how things work out for everyone. The caregiver also has to get used to your loved one’s home and be able to find their way around without asking you for help.
This will take some time for everyone to adjust. It’s a new routine, and it may be the first time you let a nurse come to your loved one’s home. It’s important to consider these things when hiring a home health aide because you need someone to come in. As much as you may want to, you can’t be there for your loved one around the clock. These home health aides are coming into homes to take care of loved ones that cannot get around too much on their own. They are there to make your loved one’s life easier and your life a little more relaxed.
