Finding the right in-home care for your loved one is an incredibly important decision. Maybe your loved one needs medication supervision on a regular basis, or maybe they are recovering from a fall or surgery. In-home caregivers can provide non-medical services as well as homemaker tasks, as well as administering medication and helping with bathing and grooming. Finding the right person to care for your loved one means you’ll need to take some time to do your research, including interviewing several people that you feel might be the best match. But, before you set out on your journey of finding a new household employee, here are some mistakes that should be avoided.
Mistake #1: Not determining needs or preferences.
When you begin your search for a caregiver, be sure you have a list of what needs you have for your loved one and what the tasks entail. In addition, if you have specific preferences or common interests that you’re looking for, be sure to indicate those. For example, if your loved one loves doing jigsaw puzzles, card games, or crossword puzzles, consider hiring a caregiver that would enjoy sitting and working on those with them. This will allow for companionship and socialization for your loved one, which can be great as they age.
Mistake #2: Not hiring someone able to do the tasks at hand.
When you’re looking to hire a caregiver, be sure that you have a specific care plan in place and make sure that the person is okay with everything on the list. For example, is the person going to be firm enough to get your loved one to do the things they might be resisting, such as using their walker, get up and take a walk, or eat meals on time? In addition, can the caretaker lift your loved one in the event of a fall or accident? If you hire someone who is not physically able to complete the tasks at hand, you may end up in a bad situation if an emergency happened.
Mistake #3: Not understanding employer responsibilities - household payroll, taxes, and worker’s compensation.
No matter how detail oriented you are, managing payroll and understanding the ins and outs of the taxes and other benefits associated with that can be complex. There are a lot of rules that direct employers on what qualifies as income and what doesn’t and if you don’t pay correctly or do not withhold enough taxes, there could be some expensive consequences for this, including penalties and fees from the government. To avoid this, plan ahead and hire a team of household tax and payroll specialists that will help you budget and properly pay your in-home caregiver. This will provide you peace of mind so you know that you’re not missing anything important. Contact us today to find out which services you need and which service package will work best for your situation.
