As people grow old, their younger family members’ main aim is to provide for them a house care help in their prime years. These siblings know it’s better safe than sorry and so the best thing to before hiring a caregiver is to have it in mind that you will be trusting your elderly family members with a stranger. So, it is important to know more about the background of the home caregiver you intend to hire.
1.What is home care?
Home care gained popularity because it was made it possible for the elderly to be well taken care of without them being taken to a hospice or the houses of the elderly for them to be taken care of. Now, home care has got better because there are home caregivers who are employed and supervised by agencies for them to offer elderly caregiver services. Depending on the agreements between them and their clients, house care agencies can offer their services either in shifts, hourly, full time, or even when needed.
- Types of home care
Housewife
This service includes meal preparation, house cleaning, food purchasing, laundry, and other various house chores.
Personal care
These services are entirely focused on the daily care of the client and they include; bathing, dressing, toilet access, grooming, and feeding.
Friendship
On a friendship basis, it means that the caregiver is there to keep the client company and be there to offer them social support. Often, the elderly are left alone in the house and they may become lonely because everybody is either at work or school. Depending on the agreed terms, the caregiver can be on phone, come at various times, or be a friend who stays around.
Home health care service
This service is only offered by health specialists who offer professional services like psychiatric care, breathing therapy, speech development, nursing, general health assistance, or occupational treatment.
Respite care
In this case, a trained person lives with the client because this is an extensive caregiving type of service. The caregiver in this case attends to their client fully and stays close to their client.
- Choice tips
Money matters
Home care service providers charge more in comparison to private homecare service providers. However, the advantage of agency-based home care though expensive is that they are professionals who are proficiently trained and qualified to offer home care services. Private homecare service providers do not guarantee professionalism which may compromise the extent of care expected.
Ease to deal with
Company-based house care agencies have a more professional way of relating with their clients. Payment is well processed, and incase their provider is not fit to work, they always provide a replacement. Also, in case you are dissatisfied with their caregiver, you can file a complaint. For specific home care companies, you are limited to working with the caregiver you have because you can’t do much when they falter. In case you opt for a specific home care provider here are some smart ways that will ensure that you get better services.
-Know the caregiver well
-Conduct a thorough interview
-Clearly state your expectations
-Be specific in all areas
-Discuss the payment terms immediately
-Ask for their personal information
House caregivers gained popularity because they proved to offer better and more quality services that made people realize that their elderly can be taken care of at home. This reduced the need for a hospice or elderly home and everybody liked it. As a result, caregiver agencies came up offered more professionals to meet the rising demand for home caregivers.
Individual caregivers do not guarantee quality services unless they provide evidence of their relevant training in-home caregiver services.
In case of a problem concerning a home care company, there is always a firm where a complaint can be filed. However, for specific home care companies, there is no such firm and so you cannot report the caregiver in case they don’t deliver.
