Care.com
I searched the archives and didn't see a discussion about this.
Has anyone hired a caregiver through Care.com? What was your experience?
Did you pay for their service to handle the payroll taxes?
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Marp i looked at it two years ago when I was considering home help but couldn't find anyone (mainly because I could not find anyone covid vaccinated in our rural area). I've seen it mentioned by others but not a lot.
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Thanks!
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I know a few people who have connected through care.com- some looking for childcare and others seeking elder care.
If you are willing to invest in doing the interviews, background checks and payroll, you can often find great people. Some positives-
Because agencies keep half of what you pay them, many excellent caregivers prefer to find their own clients and keep the entire hourly rate themselves. In some markets, you may find you pay less per hour for care.
We used an agency and found that as new clients we tended to be sent either newbies or the aides who were harder to place. We went through about 6 people before finding the right one. With care, you get to pick from a bigger range of people, skills and personalities. We found our agency oversold the dementia training their aides had and often sent people who were not only clueless, but dementia also wasn't their "thing". When mom had TKR, we introduced caregivers for dad-- the agency sent a lady who only wanted to do housekeeping. Mom wanted care/company for dad so she could nap and do her PT exercises.
Sometimes people want a live-in person, aside from word-of-mouth, care is the other place to fill this need. My neighbor did live-in care for his late wife and then his new second wife's mom who had Alz. He used an agency to give them time off, so the agency would send an aide if the live-in person needed PTO or a sick day.
HB
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Initially I contacted agencies but found they required a commitment of a certain number of regularly scheduled hours per week. I understood their need for this, as they have to be able to dependably schedule hours for their staff or risk losing them. But I needed more flexibility in scheduling. For that reason I turned to Care.com and was able to find a number of good people. I eventually settled with one caregiver who had taken care of her father with Alzheimer’s, so she is knowledgeable and experienced. In addition to being a resource for caregivers who were on board with scheduling flexibility, Care.com enabled me to meet, interview and select our caregiver, as opposed to an agency that may have just sent someone they selected. Cost was also lower per hour than agency help. Care.com will handle payroll, and their platform has a communication function so I can contact my caregiver directly. Downside is I had to be responsible for vetting candidates / doing background checks, and if for some reason my caregiver cannot get here, there is no backup.
Also, don’t underestimate asking friends, family etc if they know of any carers looking for work. I have a second caregiver who I found through a friend. This young man helps his family care for his grandmother who has dementia. He has been an absolutely wonderful caregiver, and has even done overnight stays. DH enjoys spending time with him (and getting a break from me!), since it’s Dude Time with lots of Action, Shoot-“em up, Sci-Fi films, and plenty of football watching. Unfortunately this caregiver will be moving on to finish grad school soon, so I will be back to Care.com. I have my fingers crossed that I will once again find good carers in this next round of searching.
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I am thinking of using them but am put off by having to use a payroll service. Home pay costs $75/month.
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That's me too and I don't know if I want the responsibility of doing the taxes myself.
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I have found agencies do not have many caregivers these days. There's a shortage in our area and many want to work privately now. The agencies cannot guarantee back ups if a caregiver calls out. In my recent experiences, I have found the agencies have no control over what the caregivers do. They also are not responsive to issues and will send anyone through the door.
I also have a lot of experience on care.com. Most caregivers on care.com do not want to be paid through payroll. They want cash. There are also some scams on there as well. Be careful when you speak to someone if they seem to be asking you a lot of personal questions.
If you use care.com, interview carefully on the phone, be clear about responsibilities and pay. Then speak with a few references. Then if all seems good, set up a meet and greet. Run the background check if you choose to hire.
Are there good caregivers on care.com? Yes, but there are also a lot who are asking for hourly rates that are close to what agencies are charging, want cash and don't do the agreed upon work/show up. You'll also find people apply and then don't respond when you get back to them.
Also, invest in cameras for the home. If any caregiver doesn't want to work in the home because there are cameras, that's a red flag.
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We used it a number of times with both great and bad results. We did not use their tax help. If there’s a need, I’ll try it again.
Agree, cameras are so very helpful.
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My experience with Care.com was awful!!! I got ghosted by every single person who responded to my "ad" for a senior caregiver. I eventually wound up going through Visiting Angels, and even though it was more expensive, it was worth it. Good luck!!
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I know someone else who used Visiting Angels and was very happy with them.
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