Shopping for In-Home Care

 

Considerations When Hiring A

Home Care Agency or Private Caregiver

 

Personal Care Agencies, non-medical home care, are certified in Kentucky and licensed in Indiana. These companies provide assistance with bathing, toileting, walking, cooking, housekeeping, driving or companionship. The following is a list of questions to ask when hiring a caregiver or an agency to assist you or your loved one.

 

General Questions

 

1. How long has your company been helping families in the Louisville Area? Years in business and years experience are key indicators that the agency understands what is needed to care for your loved ones. It also indicates that they care about working with families in this area and plan on continuing to do so for many years to come.

 

2. Does your company personally interview the caregivers? A strong hiring process, completed in-house, can show that the company places importance on personally meeting their perspective employees.

 

3. How extensive are your criminal and background checks? You will want to be sure that criminal checks are being processed statewide in Kentucky as well as in other states in which the employee has resided.

 

4. Do you hire employees with felonies and/or misdemeanors? If so, what convictions are allowed? You want to be sure the agency has strict, safe hiring practices.

 

5. How often do you conduct background checks after the caregiver is hired? Regular background checks ensure that employees are being overseen properly.

 

6. Do you drug screen and when? Knowing that the agency requires drug screening of perspective employees and random drug screening thereafter is vital to your safety.

 

7. Do you check the sex abuse and nurse abuse registries? Law enforcement personnel will confirm that this is a vital function prior to hiring caregivers.

 

Legal Questions

 

8. Does your company pay taxes and are caregivers classified as employees or are they independent contractors? Private caregivers may require that you pay matching taxes due to the tax laws and regulations.

 

9. Do you manage all employee-related issues?

You will be best served by an agency that will take care of all employee-related issues.

 

10. Which of the following insurance coverages does your company have: Workers' Compensation; Unemployment; General & Professional Liability; Bonding; Non-owned Auto Insurance and Unemployment? An agency should fully insure their caregivers and themselves so you are protected.

 

11. Will you provide copies of this insurance coverage? To ensure client safety and confirm insurance coverage, copies of proofs of insurance should be made available to you.

 

Supervision

 

12. How do you train your caregivers? It is very important that caregivers receive on-going training and updates to their skill set through their agency.

 

13. Do you have a professional that monitors the caregivers in the field? How is this done and how often? Care Coordinators, professionals who make regular on-site visits to monitor caregivers, are the best way to be sure clients receive great care! They will also be sure clients’ needs are met even as needs change.

 

Emergencies

 

14. How would you know if my caregiver is on time or does not show up? A clock in and out system is the best way for an agency to know that caregivers are where they should be and on time! It ensures you are getting the care for which you are paying.

 

15. How are after hours calls handled? Answering services can be very useful. However, when caring for loved ones it is best to have professional agency staff answering the phone 24/7!

 

16. What happens if my caregiver is sick, on vacation or I do not like them? You will need to feel secure that your agency will send skilled replacements as needed and upon your request.

 

Financial

 

17. What are your rates? Do I pay extra for weekends, for holidays, or for a Certified Nursing Assistant? A rate sheet should be provided to you and it should clearly outline up-charges and rate differentials, if any.

 

16. Do you work with any other programs such as Long Term Care Insurance, Veterans Programs, etc...? Your agency should be happy to work with you and with the programs your family utilizes and to assist you with the paperwork required.

 

Getting Started

 

18. How would I get started with your agency? In order to best serve the clients' needs, a free

in-home assessment should be offered. This meeting takes place where the care will be given (where the client will reside) and with the perspective client and at least one family member.

 

19. How do you match a caregiver to my needs? This process should include gathering as much information as possible on your needs and wants. The agency should match caregiver to client on both skill set and personality. This match should also include finding caregivers who will be on time, professional and dependable!

 

20. How much advance notice would you need to get started? The agency should be able to work with you and your family on setting up care as soon as possible. However, you will want them to take the necessary time to make a good match for your loved one!

 

21. Can you provide me with information, in writing, regarding your agency and your fees? Copies of all documents, including agency policies, should be available to the client and their family.

 

22. Would you mind providing me with customer and/or business references? Copies of both of these types of references should be made available to the client and their family upon request.

 

 

 

02/14/12, 09:53 AM

Stress/Emotional Eating

Stress/Emotional Eating 

If you are a professional caregiver or taking care of a loved one as their caregiver, you can become very stressed. Years of experience have shown me that generally, those who care for others tend to put themselves last, thus not taking very good care of themselves. This can lead to health problems for the caregiver which in turn leads to problems for the person for whom they are caring. 

Stress or emotional eating is not an uncommon problem and is often seen in stressed out caregivers. It means that you eat for reasons other than hunger. Some of us turn to food for comfort and our strongest cravings sometimes happen when we are vulnerable emotionally! We may ignore our body's natural signals for hunger and fullness and eat more than we need or really want. This can not only cause problems with efforts to lose weight but can also have unhealthy side affects. 

Below are some signs that you may be stress/emotional eating: 

1. What you eat changes when there is something going on in your life that is causing you stress

2. You are eating when you are not hungry

3. You continue eating even if you are full

4. You find comfort in eating

5. You pay little attention to what you are eating (thus not really getting enjoyment from your food) and may not really have a strong memory of eating

6. You eat to delay dealing with something else in your life

7. You reward yourself with food

8. You eat a larger portions of foods than you would normally eat 

There are ways to combat this destructive way of dealing with stress and/or emotional upheaval. First identify what is causing the behavior. Take a few minutes to write down what you eat and when. Identify your feelings during this time. Chart whether you were truly hungry when you were eating as well. You should start to identify patterns in your behavior. 

Next you should try different ways to deal with stress than eating. You may have to try a few different things before finding the one(s) that work best for you. Below are some things to try: 

1. Stand up, stretch and breathe deeply

2. Picture yourself if a calming, safe place – spend a few minutes there in your thoughts

3. Take a short walk

4. Call someone that can help you talk out the problem(s)

5. Change your activity – go back to what you were doing after you have calmed yourself 

If none of these things work for you, seek professional help to assist you in managing your stress. Take care of yourself so that you can take great care of others!

 

02/06/12, 12:30 PM