Checklist: Questions To Consider When Choosing In-Home Care

When hiring Home Care Aides or Home Health Aides to help with In-Home Care, the most important issues to consider are your level of comfort with the caregivers, your ability to communicate well with the caregivers, the level of care the caregivers can provide.

It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the caregiver speak sufficient English to be easily understood by the patient?
• Does the caregiver understand sufficient English to easily understand the patient and the person overseeing the care?
• Does the caregiver have experience with the patient’s health situation?
• Is the caregiver amenable to changing his or her care giving style based on the particular needs of the patient?
• If the caregiver will be offering medical care, does he or she have the requisite qualifications and certifications?
• If the caregiver will be helping the patient with bathing, dressing, using the toilet, and other physical activities, is he or she physically strong enough to support the patient?
• If the caregiver will be providing transportation services, does he or she have a valid driver’s license?
• If there will be multiple caregivers working together, how will you manage division of labor and the social dynamics between caregivers?