Choosing a Caregiver for Your Elderly or Disabled Family Member

When someone you love is unable to care for themselves, you want to provide the absolute best care possible. Often, family members become caregivers for elderly or disabled loved ones who need extra care.

Unfortunately, life sometimes makes it difficult to provide around-the-clock care. This article gives some common-sense tips to help you choose a caregiver for your elderly or disabled loved one.

If You Need Extra Help

When circumstances make the hiring of outside help necessary, you want to ensure that your loved one is going to be safe and properly cared for. Caregivers provide in home care during the times that you cannot be present. Their responsibilities can range from simple driving or cleaning duties to providing medical care. The needs of the ailing individual should be considered carefully when choosing a caregiver.

A pleasant personality and an amicable relationship with the ailing person are essential ingredients and should not be overlooked. Be sure to include your loved one as much as possible in all meetings with potential caregivers.

Find an Agency

It is best to hire a caregiver that is represented by an agency, if possible. Caregiving agencies can be found in your local Yellow Pages under Home Health Care Services or similar heading.

Get References

Always ask for personal as well as professional references when hiring a caregiver. Check the references thoroughly and do not be afraid to ask for more if the initial references do not satisfy you.

Study the caregiver's work record. Any lapses or quick turnover rates should be investigated. Sometimes these can be explained by pregnancies, illness or other life events that forced the caregiver to take time off. Any unexplained lapses should raise red flags. The caregiver could be deliberately neglecting to mention certain jobs or may have something else to hide.

Background Checks

An independent background check should be done as well. Contact your local law enforcement agency and ask about the requirements in your area.

Trust Your Instincts

Trust your instincts. If everything checks out but you or your loved one still feel uncomfortable with the potential caregiver, continue searching. Our instincts alert us to danger when none is apparent. If you or your loved one have a "bad feeling" about someone, even if their background check and references are good, move on.

First Impressions

If your first impression of a potential caregiver is negative, keep looking. Observe their attitude towards your loved one during meetings. Do they seem genuinely respectful, or do they act as if your ailing loved one is not there?

If the applicant seems unable to meet your eyes while speaking or seems reluctant to speak about his past work experiences, you may want to cross him or her off your list.

One thing to note in each interviewee is their personal hygiene. If they do not appear to take care of themselves, chances are that they will not provide proper care for your loved one. This isn't necessarily always the case; some people suffer from excessive sweating or other medical conditions that may cause them to appear unkempt despite their best efforts. But applicants who obviously neglect their own hygiene can be a health risk to your loved one.

It is not easy to entrust your loved one's care to someone else. Taking your time and using the common sense suggestions in this article to assist you in your decision making process can make a difficult task easier.