Great caregivers are needed and the job market is on the rise. In fact, an estimated 718,900 new jobs are expected to be created every year for the next ten years. (Home Health and Personal Care Aides 2024) This means more good caregivers are needed and will be needed over the next few decades. The questions is where do we find good caregivers and how do we know if they are good? There are a few places where we can look to find great caregivers:
- Google Search
Upon performing a google search you will find a long list of options from listings to websites that provide in home care agency information. Some of these websites hold alot of information on senior care and the challenges of old age. Preparation and steps to ensure good aging takes place and research is very common to appear on searches about old age care. There are direct caregiver providers available as well as personal listings for caregivers that appear on the list.
2. Agencies and Caregiver providers
Working directly with a caregiver provider or agency has its pros like reliability and immediate care. Although you don’t get as much freedom in choosing the caregiver, it is one of the most reliable ways to receive care. Caregiver hiring is normally controlled by the agency department doing the human resources. Different agencies offer different levels of personalized care. There normally is a detailed care plan paperwork step that an agency performs to gather the initial information on your care needs. This means that you get the personalized care with no worries or stress. Most if not all caregiver providers offer respite care and replacements due to caregiver turnaround or burnout. Caregiver turnaround is high and finding the perfect long term match is difficult. This is why agencies interview alot of candidates, so you don’t have to worry.
3. Direct hires and personal listings
Direct hires or personal listings to find caregivers to hire directly can be a lower cost option. With this option you get to chose directly who you hire and on what terms. This means you oversee the care and pay directly. The difficulty in hiring your own caregiver is tax season and ensuring quality levels. Unless you know how to do employer taxes or have heard of a 1099 you will have some difficulties. Also if you don’t provide benefits or insurance or other perks it can be more difficult to find a quality person. Normally agencies or caregiver providers perform the background, reference, and data base checks but in this care its completely up to you to perform these. Again this means you know and control every step of the process but its alot more work. If your caregiver doesn’t show up you are responsible for finding a replacement for yourself, adding to the workload.
4. Other advertisements
There are also of websites that ask you to fill out forms on yourself and care your need which then gets forwarded to an agency for review. The agency information or leads company doesn't inform you of the caregiver agency so there is some ambiguity in who you will be working with. These do work and you can expect a phone call within a few hours of filling out one of these forms.
5. Medicare.gov and CMS.gov
Medicare.gov and CMS.gov are another two options for a list of caregiver providers or certified home health aide agencies. These two search aggregates are a safe way to go in choosing a home health aid provider for both private pay or Medicare covered care. For more information on Medicare please take a look at our other articles. Although these two links do not come up immediately upon searching for in home care they are do appear when searching for Medicare approved home health aide agencies. They can also be visited by clicking on either link below
(they both do a great job in presenting in home care options):
In conclusion there are alot of resources here and out there for all your care needs in your senior years. Please take a look at our blog for more tips and information on receiving Medicare coverage for you in home care. Don’t forget to take a look at our services page for the most personalized private pay and Medicare approved to be caregiver services.
Citations:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024b, August 29). Home Health and Personal Care Aides. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home-health-aides-and-personal-care-aides.htm