Interviewing additional help

Kay82

I just interviewed 2 agencies & 1 individual, I didn't like any of them.   I am very frustrated, my daughter hasn't been able to help as much as she wants or I need her to because her husband's family keeps pulling her away. She is too nice & doesn't say no. So my brother's wife sent someone she thought would work, she was the individual I interviewed.  I don't feel I am being too picky, I try to go with my gut feelings.

It has been difficult finding agencies who service our town, we are only 20 miles from the capital city of our state, you would think it would be easier. 

UPDATE - my brother's wife begged me to give the woman she recommended a try after I told her I didn't think she wanted to anything more than read to my mom & wanted $15/hr to do. I told my brother & his wife I would give her a chance but she is not to be paid more than $12/hr which is what my daughter is paid. Fingers crossed she doesn't accept the $12/hr. This woman was very devoid of a personality, not at all friendly.  

mommyandme (m&m)

I feel your pain…I’m dealing with working with a new caregiver I was hoping would take hours away from the too expensive service we use. I think Im going to let her go. I lose sleep over this stuff.  

The Nextdoor app and care.com are sometimes helpful to find people.  Not so much for me right now but it has helped us at times.  

Sorry this is a difficult chapter in the horrible book.  

Appy

I TOTALLY get that!!! I started with caregivers for my Mama four years ago after her hip surgery. Started with Visiting Angels but ended it pretty quickly because of the cost and because SO MANY of the women they sent out were obviously just in it for the pay check and not because they truly cared about their clients. 

Before I let Visiting Angels go I started looking for private caregivers. Care.com was worthless imho...The people who responded lived much too far from us and were asking for about the same amount of money per hour that I was paying VA. So, I started searching within my group of friends and the church I was attending. That was a huge process!! 

Like I said, it's been four years and I am just now feeling like I have an amazing team of 5 ladies who take care of my Mama. She lives across the driveway from my husband and I so I'm close by and always willing to help if there's a need. But these precious women do their best to only call when they truly need my help. I have fired a total of three caregivers over this past four years...just not good fits...but each time the perfect one comes along. Sometimes a recommendation from one of the other caregivers sometimes a friend who steps up and says, "I want to help you."  

I wish I had a magic solution to this huge process to offer. It truly is a trial and error thing and a lot of hard work getting to that perfect combination!

​fesk

Well, I'll just say it - there are a lot of bad caregivers out there. Many...many....many. 

There are good ones too, of course. They are difficult to find. Someone can sound great in an interview and be out of their depth when they show up or seem great for a few weeks, and go downhill fast because they don't want to do anything. Then it's ignoring your loved one, nose in the phone, etc. It's time consuming and tiring to train. Every time I have to train, it takes me away from my job. 

I do think it's more difficult to find appropriate care for someone with Alzheimer's. There are behavioral considerations in addition to physical. Many caregivers do not know how to work with a person with Alzheimer’s. I just had an experience recently where I was very up-front about our situation, and the agency sent someone who was completely out of her element. Lovely person - just not at all able to work with someone with Alzheimer's. And our situation isn't even that difficult yet. The agency confirmed several times she was experienced, etc. Expensive waste of my time. 

I think since COVID, many caregivers are working privately. Many agencies are having a difficult time finding caregivers and may send anyone out, whether they are qualified or not.

I have used agencies and have hired privately. You never know how someone is going to do until they are doing the job. If I hire privately, I screen on the phone, get references, meet in person, and then run a background check. It's a lot of work and the background checks are expensive. I have used care.com and have had people asking for what agencies are charging too. Some are asking ridiculous rates.

If you are able to get a personal recommendation, that's great. That is always a good thing but your expectations may be different than the person who referred the caregiver.

You just have to keep plugging away at it until you hit on the right people. I don't think having several caregivers always works. It certainly wouldn't have worked for my mom a few years ago, but now it's not an issue. I am also building a team of a few caregivers.

I hope you are able to find help soon. Definitely continue to listen to your gut. 

harshedbuzz

Kay-

It's always been a challenge to find quality caregivers. But the situation has been made worse by the pandemic and many people leaving the industry because of risks to themselves and because other easier positions have become more competitive in terms of pay. 

I wonder if part of the problem is the salary you are offering. Pre-Covid, the going rate for agency HHAs was a little over $30/hour and privately hired tended to go $20-25 but I'm sure it's higher now. We also found that the best aides wanted either flexibility or a reliable 30–40-hour week. 

IME, word-of-mouth is a great way to find help. Ask everybody-- people at church, the lady who does your hair, friends, etc. I even know of folks who found their caregivers through obituaries when the HHA were thanked by name.

HB