Now Accepting Applications: How To Screen For A Live-In Caregiver For Your Elderly Mom Or Dad
The decision to hire live-in care for an elderly parent is a major one, but even after that's been made, you face the monumental decision of who to hire. Nothing will put your mind more at ease than finding a special, caring, and competent individual to look after your mother or father, but what could make you feel worse than if you hire the wrong person? Give yourself plenty of time for the hiring process, if you can, and follow these steps:
1. Look At The Resume
Analyze the needs of your parent, then make sure every applicant meets certain criteria. For example, if your elderly parent needs help getting around, your applicants should be fit enough, with no existing physical limitations like a sore back or weak knees. If your mom or dad has memory issues, look for live-in help who has dealt directly with such a sensitive and often frustrating scenario.
Also examine resumes for things like punctuality and reliability and for how long the applicant has remained dedicated to an individual employer or client. You don't want to be hiring help every few months.
2. Get To Know The Live-In Caregiver
After you've screened a few applicants on paper for their verifiable qualifications, then you should meet them in-person. Meeting people first is often a mistake, because it's easy to be charmed by a pleasant personality and then forgive any shortcomings their resume may have.
Meet people first in a public place, like a coffee shop, to be able to evaluate them without causing a lot of fuss for your mom or dad. Get a good idea of what the person is like before making that important introduction or giving them the impression they have the job. Eventually, you should have a couple of applicants in mind who are solid on paper and who have the type of personality you're looking for.
3. Meet References In Person
Meet the references in person. That way, you can be more certain of the authenticity behind the relationship and have more information with which to form your opinion. Ultimately, an applicant could give you the number of their best friend or a relative who would happily speak up for them instead of an actual work reference. Meeting character references in person provides you with more clues about who you hire, leaving fewer stones unturned in your arduous but worthwhile efforts.
4. Let Your Mom Or Dad In On The Decision, If Applicable
So long as your elderly parent is capable of participating in the process, let them. After reference checks and initial meetings, your mom or dad should have a choice as to who comes to stay and care for them. The better the relationship between patient and caregiver, the happier everyone usually is.
Hiring someone to live with your mom or dad means trusting them to take good care of someone you love dearly and to do the right thing, always. There are many different qualifications to look for and so many questions to ask, but, ultimately, you need accurate information, solid recommendations, and your own instincts. For more information, contact live-in caregivers near you.