Choosing the right senior caregiver for your aging parent or relative is an important decision, and fortunately, you have plenty of options when hiring someone—however, the number of options can feel like a bit of a double-edged sword. The good news is you can work with an agency to source someone to support your family member, or you can search and hire someone independently. The bad news is that the choices can be overwhelming.
To take the stress and guesswork out of choosing, here are the key considerations when deciding to work with a caregiving agency or to hire help on your own.
Working with an agency
These are the benefits of working with an agency:
- Supervision: When you work with an agency, you attain resources beyond the in-home caregiver. There’s someone vetting the caregivers and reviewing the quality of care delivered, and there’s usually a registered nurse on staff who supervises the aides and assesses the care recipient’s care plan.
- Administrative assistance: It also means there’s a staffer to manage the administrative side of the relationship, such as scheduling, workers’ compensation, and billing.
- Choices: Many agencies offer a meet-and-greet with a prospective caregiver, followed by a trial period to ensure there’s a fit between your aging parent and the person you’re hiring to assist them.
- Regulations: Most agencies must comply with consumer affairs regulations that protect the consumer.
- Training: Quality care agencies provide training for their employees, so you can have peace of mind that the agency will be able to assist you as different care situations arise. And they can usually offer extra resources and support when needed. Agencies will often create care plans that are individualized to the care recipient.
- Backup care: Perhaps one of the most helpful aspects of working with an agency is that when an aide calls out for an emergency or doesn’t show up to work, the agency will send a replacement.
Going the independent route
These are the benefits of going the independent route:
- Flexibility: A home health provider hired independently often can assist with a wider range of tasks than one hired through an agency. Many aides working with agencies are prohibited from doing anything considered invasive, like taking a patient’s blood sugar or assisting with medication management or administration.
- Choices: While hiring independently may require more time and legwork, it can allow you more choices in terms of who you hire and what skills they possess.
- Scheduling: While the risk of not having backup exists when you take the independent route, you are able to work with the caregiver to create a mutually beneficial schedule. When you work with an agency you are restricted to the hours they provide coverage.
- Cost: Often you can negotiate more affordable options for care when you choose to hire independently because you don’t have to cover the overhead costs of agencies.
Whether you work with an agency or hire independently, the most important factor to consider is that you find a fit that puts you and your parent or family member at ease.
