The entry points to professional in home care giving



The family physician or the public health nurse is the best person to identify the reputed caregiver services.

It is important that the insurance plan you're in should partly or fully cover the cost of in home care facility. Otherwise the burden is quite high.

The local not for profit organizations should be mapped in first for such services e.g. Red Cross.

There are many such organizations that provide support for health conditions like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's etc. These organizations might be able to recommend caregivers who specialize in providing care to people with such serious conditions.

References and criminal records should be thoroughly checked before employing an in home care giver. It is important that the caregiver to produce his/her credentials at the time of employment. It is almost mandatory that the caregivers have CPR or first aid training. Some organizations provide with Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Certified Home Health Aides, Certified Nurse Assistants and trained and experienced caregivers that assist care recipients and their families to meet their personal and health care needs.

While entering into a contract with the in home caregiver the duties to be performed should be listed and explained. It is better to provide him/her with a precise job description. This is just to make sure that the caregiver is willing and able to perform the duties. Home Care include duties like: bathing, meal planning, feeding, housekeeping and cleaning, medication reminders, assistance with mobility and exercises, errands and shopping, pet care etc. Whereas Companion Care often demands services like: conversations, taking walk, playing cards, puzzles or indoor games, attending senior citizen classes or religious centers, driving for shopping, meals and movies, entertainment parks etc.

It is important that while choosing the caregiver the care recipient should be involved in the interviewing process. It is important how comfortable the care recipient feels while interacting with the person.

It is always important to have a plan B i.e. an alternate back up plan in case the main plan fails. If the care giver, employed, is not available for any reason then a list of part time caregivers should be in hand and should be contacted as soon as possible to replace the first.

There are many agencies and organizations that help to map the caregivers throughout the country and gives them accreditation and acknowledgement for this wonderful job.