Three Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring a Home Health Aide

As parents age, they often begin to require a greater level of care. If you have a number of other personal and professional obligations, providing this care can be impossible. Hiring a home health aide can ensure your loved one is being well taken care of and eliminate your concerns. However, this is only true if you are hiring the right aide. In order to ensure that you are hiring the right health care aide for your loved one, there are a number of mistakes to avoid.

Don't Assume They Offer Additional Services

Although the home health care industry is regulated in terms of its qualifications and necessary credentials, aide workers have a lot of flexibility when it comes to the services they perform. Some aides strictly provide medical-related services and some workers also agree to perform household management tasks, such as light cleaning and cooking.

If you are looking for someone to provide these additional services, make certain you are asking if this is something they can do. Don't simply assume they will perform these tasks. If you need these additional services and you hire someone who doesn't offer them, you could be left scrambling to find additional help.

Stick with an Agency

There are a number of home health aide workers that operate independently, but then there are aides who work under the umbrella of an agency. It's generally a better idea to work with an aide who comes from an agency because of the background check regulations that these agencies have to adhere to.

Agencies generally need an insurance policy in order to operate. A part of obtaining this insurance policy is the requirement that all aides be bonded. In order to be bonded, the aide must successfully pass a criminal background and drug screen test. An agency aide worker can give you greater confidence that your loved one and their home is being safeguarded.

Check for Consistency

When looking over the references or background of any aide worker you are considering hiring, make sure to check their consistency in past assignments. Most elderly people are less than excited to have someone coming into their home to provide care, but having a prompt and reliable aide may greatly ease their minds.

If you have a revolving door of aides coming in your parent's home, this will only make matters worse. Examine the aide's history to see if they have a reputation of jumping from client to client. If so, this is probably someone you want to avoid.

The more effort you put into finding an appropriate aid for your loved one, the more satisfied you and your loved one will be. Make certain you are choosing their home health care wisely.