How To Choose The Right Caregiver For Your Loved One

Choosing which caregiver to care for your beloved family or friend can be life-altering. The right caregiver should make your loved one feel comfortable, inspired and improve the quality of their life. Here are some tips to choose the perfect caregiver. 

Understand your home care needs 

It’s important to understand why your loved one needs a caregiver. Some questions to ask yourself include

1. Do they need help with daily functions?
2. Someone to make sure they aren’t falling? 
3. Do they need someone to take them to various appointments and activities? 
4. Someone to cook, clean, handle medicinal regimes?

Understanding your financial position 

Although it would be great to have a caregiver with your loved one 24/7, this is not financially possible. It is important to understand your financial position prior to choosing a caregiver. 

Involve relatives   

Involve everyone who is a stakeholder in this situation. For example, if you are one sibling out of 4, involve all your other siblings. Not only will they contribute financially but they will also feel better about the decision if they help in making it

Prepare a job description   

After getting a better understanding of what this caregiver will be doing on a day to day basis, prepare a job description so too are explicitly notified on what needs to be done. 

Decide between agency and private care   

It is important to weigh up to pros and cons of both. Agencies are easier to find, however ultimately it your decision as to what works best for you. 

Check with other people     

There is nothing like a good old word of mouth referral. If you have friends who get carers for their loved ones, ask them. If you are in a church or community group, it’d be good to have a chat to older people to see if they use a caregiver and agencies. I would also suggest reading up on these agencies online as just because a person’s experience was or is fantastic does not mean that your experience will be. 

Interview         

Throughout the interview stage it is important to ask the right questions. Don’t be afraid to ask explicit and large questions as this too will give you an indication of who they are. You may be able to ask them what kind of personalities they’ve clashed with in the past and what their personal history is and or comfort level is with caregiving. 

Background Checks

Although you are able to pick a person in an interview by their response and just their general vibe, it doesn’t hurt to run a background check just to be 100% sure as to who is spending time with your loved one. You can check their credentials, criminal history and residency status. 

Communicate with your loved one 

It is so important to communicate your decision to your loved one. You may also be able to invite them to be in on interviews to gauge the personalities. 

Ultimately nothing can beat intuition 

No matter how qualified someone may be, you will always have to make that decision. It is important to go with what feels right and know that nothing is guaranteed. 

Having a caregiver allows individuals to be able to continue living the life they desire to the extent that they can. It is always important to be honest with yourself and your loved ones about the kind of caregiver that is needed. 

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