Finding In Home Cargivers

Plrdtr

Any suggestions on how to determine the best caregiver service to use?  I received a list of caregiver companies/organizations from my alz org support grp leader, but going through them is daunting.

I am wanting someone to come into my home to look after after mom while I run errands or just have time away.

Lindsay22

Hello! I have used a service and an individual caregiver that was referred to me through a friend.  In my case, the individual is MUCH better than the service. I don't know where you are but in my area there are significant staffing shortages and many services aren't even accepting new clients because they simply don't have the staff.  My experience with the service hasn't been great, mainly because the training is lacking.  Most of the caregivers are just nice young women who have no experience with dementia and the "training" consisted of watching a few videos.  So my advice is to ask detailed questions about how folks are trained if you go with a service and exactly what kind of care they can provide.  And if you can, get a recommendation from someone because that caregiver will likely be better.

jfkoc

Word of mouth and I found some names associated with obituaries.

aod326

If you are able to find someone through word of mouth great, however, that's not always possible. I can tell you what I did, in case that helps.

First of all I made a list of what I wanted: someone to talk to/listen to DH who, at that point, was very social; someone who would walk with him; someone with experience of dementia patients/clients. Then I looked at the websites of each potential agency and noted whether they were national or local, whether they specifically mentioned dementia, how long they'd been in business. Anyone in business <10 years was a definite no; occasionally I'd see something on the website that didn't sit right with me, so I ruled them out. 

Next step was to call each agency, explain what I was looking for, and see their reaction. While the most important thing is the actual quality/attitude of the carer, the office team are important too, and can illustrate the attitude of the overall company. (I found that out the hard way when I had to find an agency in an emergency.) I'd ask about how they matched up the person, what would happen if I didn't think they were working out, could I see a reference, etc. I noted all of the answers down.

Then comes the key part - just pick one! Pick any one of the ones that are not crossed out on the list following your conversations. Go with your gut, or close your eyes and stick a pen on the page. Know that if the first person isn't right, you can change.  Agencies are regulated and it's unlikely that anything horrendous is going to happen - at least your mum will be safe. It can feel overwhelming, but it's not a permanent choice.

Good luck.

Norma W

We use a service recommended by LO's primary care doctor.  It took about six months but we finally have the right person for us all.  I've heard that's typical when bringing in caregivers.

I like the service because their employees are bonded and insured.

Cobalt

We have had caregivers for years because my adult son has disabilities.  So we are "lucky" (??????????) that he is entitled to care in the home with caregivers.  However, it is always quite a gamble and learning process with getting and training new caregivers here.  Since Covid, it has been really rough because most agencies in our state (AZ) continue to experience difficulty even being able to hire new caregivers into agencies, let alone to place them with families.

Right now we are looking for an additional full time caregiver weekdays, but even with the draw of having a full time job, there are fewer people looking for this line of work.  It may take at least 5-6 weeks to find someone.

There is one thing I learned that can be helpful to know.  At different stages you may find you need a different kind of person to be a caregiver.  

The kind of caregiver we now look for is far different than just two years ago when my son was actively working on his home exercises and therapy goals.  Now, as he is declining, instead of an experienced person who would also be great to help him socially and work with him on his OT, PT and SLP therapy home exercises, we are now looking for a person whose top attributes are patience, sense of humor, kind, and a companion. It's hard to interview for this kind of quality.

There is no nursing needed here and yet there is personal care, like assisting with toileting, showers and diapers.  Lots of people don't want to do this. The nature of caregivers coming into a home is turnover, constant.  We have a few who stay for years but the majority come and go and that's hard to deal with.