You’ve made the decision to bring in some help for your spouse, your parent or elder sibling.
Here are four key questions to ask when interviewing a caregiver agency:
1) How do I know the personal support worker you’re assigning me is qualified and doesn’t have a criminal record?
Ask …
About the caregivers’ experience.
Whether the agency requires a certain level of experience.
If they do background checks.
If the company is insured and bonded.
2) How reliable are your caregivers?
Ask …
What happens if a caregiver is late?
What do you do if the scheduled caregiver cannot show up?
How does your agency encourage your caregivers to be punctual?
What happens if our caregiver calls in sick or starts to feel bad on the job?
(For instance, some agencies are alerted 10 minutes after a caregiver is late. A responsible company will let you know and have a backup plan.)
3) What kind of training do your caregivers have?
Ask…
Are they knowledgeable about safety fall prevention?
Do you hire Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)?
Do your caregivers have additional training in dementia and Alzheimer’s care?
4) How do you match caregivers with clients?
Ask…
Will the caregiver have the skill level to care for my loved one?
What if their personalities clash?
How many caregivers will I be assigned? Will it be the same person each time? (Because you want the company to assign you a permanent person, for stability.)
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