By: Tony Allen
Good help is hard to find.
It’s even more difficult when looking for someone you can trust in your home to take care of your love one whether they are elderly or have a disability. You will want to find the most qualified and trained person you can but there many other factors you will need to know and do before you find the right caregiver for your love one.
First you will want to find information on holding out taxes, unemployment insurance, workers comp and other legal implications. Once you have considered all of the legal and financial implications it is time to start looking for that right person. Keep in mind that these are people that will be working in your home, and you will be exposing your family to strangers. Make sure that you do a thorough background and reference check. Find a reputable company to do your background checks and motor vehicle checks if you plan on them driving your love one. Make sure the sexual offenders list is included when choosing a company to do your criminal background checks.
After you have run your help wanted ad and identified several candidates it’s time to start the interview process which can be very timely. It might be helpful to schedule several interviews with a candidate, schedule one outside your home (coffee shop, restaurant, etc….) and one in your home to see how they interact with the person needing care. Have them to fill out a job application to gather needed information you will need to help make your decision like personal information, job history, training certifications, work references and personal references.
Now that you have identified the right candidate to take care of your love one’ and all background checks have come back negative and work references are favorable make sure they fill out an I-9, W-4 and your states tax forms. It is also a good idea to make sure they fill out a post offer medical questionnaire; this will help identify any health or past injuries that might “bite” you later.
Hiring someone on your own can be very stressful, costly, time consuming and expensive (criminal background and motor vehicle checks take time and money). There is also the legal and tax implications and what if this person gets hurt on the job, will they sue you? You will also have to consider a backup plan if your caregiver gets sick and cannot work. Do you have someone else to help you or will you have to take off work yourself?
The best solution is to find a reputable company, Provider, which specializes in giving quality home care to the elderly and disabled. Look for a company that is well established, has been around your area for a long time and is licensed. They will be able to take the hassle, stress and cost of hiring someone on your own and provide you and your love one with a qualified trained caregiver. Providers have 24 hour on call systems and many ways to make your life less complicated.
For help finding a qualified caregiver, please use the resource links below, or call us at (318) 927-5046.
Resources