Hiring through Care.com

Jackie_K

Hello - we are looking to hire someone in the immediate term through care.com until we can get mom's long-term plans settled.

For those who use or have used care.com:

1. What questions did you ask when interviewing candidates?
2. What red flags should I be on the lookout for with candidates?
3. Any watch-outs to be aware of when going through this service?
4. Anything else you can share about your experience that would be helpful?
5. Finally, how did you introduce this to your LO? Mom is NOT open to this, and I know this is normal, but would love to start planning for when we do hire (did you just bring the caregiver over with no prior discussion? Introduce that it's happening right before they arrive? I really do not know what is best…) To be clear, I will not be asking my mom's permission or giving her much notice, but would love some more practical tips on how to do this when we hire.

I did read a few previous threads and saw a couple of discussions already about paying taxes (I need to research further to understand this) and installing cameras in the home.

I know this is a lot of questions but any info is helpful! Thank you!

mommyandme (m&m)

You’ve probably seen this but I’ll give this link anyway. Lots of good interview questions there.

https://www.care.com/c/senior-caregiver-interview-tips/

We used care.com and home care companies. We were able to spend a little less hourly with care.com yet all the vetting and tax implications does complicate it a bit. Also, you may want to hire a couple different caregivers so you might have backup for when there’s a no show for whatever reason, legit or not. If you look for part-time help two or more might be a solution. I think the more help the merrier. Home care service companies will find their own subs. I found a lot of the applicants from care.com were caregivers for children (Nannie’s). I think that was care.com’s main focus in their beginning but I could be wrong.

-Have an application for them to fill out.
-Get references and call them.
-Gather pics of their drivers license (state ID), auto insurance and soc sec card.
-Find out their experience with dementia.
-When I was searching I clicked the filter for a CNA. It wasn’t a “hard no” not to have a CNA license but it helped.
-Get cameras in for sure. I told anyone that walked through our door that they were there. Preinterview the prospective hire about the cameras and if he/she are not comfortable with them, that’s a “hard no”.
-Preinterview by phone, obviously right.
-Have a printed list of your expectations/duties. Non smoking…doing homework…personal phone calls etc…chores etc…

Posting the job online at a local college/university can bring in some capable applicants too.

Telling your LO that the person coming in needs help like in earning money for such and such, needs credit for their schooling…basically giving your LO the idea that you are both helping this individual instead of the other way around. Maybe even suggest this is a volunteer situation from church. Let the interviewee know this plan if they will be invited for a formal interview. Stick around for some time in the first shift or so to help train and familiarize your LO to this new person. I interviewed with my mom there but she was agreeable to the help.

IME there’s never the 100% perfect caregiver but if you’re lucky you’ll get close. Good luck with your search. This is all so very difficult.

SusanB-dil

Wow yes. What she said!

Also, if meds are to be given... in NC, a CNA has to have a separate certificate to administer.

Jackie_K

Thank you so much! I did not see that list of questions and this is all very helpful, thank you!

jfkoc

Care.com is a caregiving site that has a rating of 2.95 stars from 11,658 reviews1. Most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases, with reviewers complaining about credit card, customer service, and background check problems1. Care.com is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but has a B rating. 743 complaints have been closed in the last three years, and out of 419 customer reviews, the average rating is 1.03 out of 5 stars2. On Trustpilot, Care.com is a verified company but has only 1.1 out of 5 stars based on 2,279 reviews2.

Jackie_K

Thanks @jfkoc - have you had personal experience with the site?

jfkoc

no….after reading this online I would not use them,

I did use Home Instead several times to stay with my husband at night when he was in the hospital. They were fine here but are a franchise.

I found permanent care after long searching. I told everyone I knew what was needed and called caregivers listed in obits.

Good people are out there but they get snapped up almost instantly.

mommyandme (m&m)

I also got people in my area interested in our caregiving gig through the “Nextdoor” app. I really only used care.com as a resource for people that are interested and able, then I did my own vetting and background checks.

Because I prepared all the meds for my mom, any caregiver we had through a service or not, were able to hand them to her in a pill bowl to take. Mom put them in her own mouth and drank her own water to wash them down. I also prepared the crushed meds for caregivers when mom was no longer swallowing pills. They knew us well by then so mixing them in yogurt for her wasn’t a problem. No caregiver, except me, organized the pills. I think that could be a distinction? I’m a CNA and it’s true that without the added credentials meds cannot not be administered directly by a hired caregiver.

Jackie_K

Great, thank you everyone!

Jeff Mex

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/210945#Comment_210945

Yes, they have terrible reviews. They seem to engage in repeated unethical practices with subscription fees and returning money, and the Federal Trade Commission hit them with an 8.5 million dollar fine for their reprehensible behavior.

ARIL

In 2022 and 2023 I had experience hiring a caregiver directly (found through my doctor’s office) and then using a Home Instead franchise.

You have been given good advice already, so I will just add a few tidbits:

1. Dealing with the private caregiver’s taxes was quite a lot of work. If you go this way, be sure to check not only federal and state requirements, but also local ones. My father lived in a rural county, and there was a small county tax for this kind of employment. I lived two states away, so I knew about this only after consulting a friend there who is a CPA. There was—and is—no information about this online from the county government.
2. With a private caregiver, make sure that it’s a contractual requirement that the person take no photographs of your mom and post nothing about the experience of caregiving on social media. This is important to protect your mom’s privacy. A company should have such restrictions in place already.
3. All things considered, I had much better success with contracting with the agency. It was more expensive, but they made sure their people got to work every day. They found their own substitutes when that was necessary and kept me informed about it. They also found replacements when their employees took different jobs. They paid the taxes for their employees, so I didn’t have to do that. Their caregivers were better than the person I hired privately, but that was luck of the draw in both cases. But be aware that the caregiver gets a small proportion of the money you pay: In 2023 I was paying $26.50 per hour, and the caregiver was only earning $11.00. (In 2022 I paid the private person $18/hr.) So their turnover was high: four caregivers in 11 months.

This was all a stopgap, to be honest. I was unable to get my father and stepmother to try AL at that time, although the situation in the house (and with meds) was dangerous. But having someone in the house regularly—and someone to drive them places—was worlds better than how things had been.