As a parent, you want to be sure that your children are entering a daycare that is safe and that will provide the best possible care. As an adult child, you also want the best possible and safest care for your elderly parents. Similarly, you need a checklist for either type of care in order to ensure the best possible choice. The following is a checklist for in home senior care, so that you know exactly what to look for, and what to avoid.
Background Checks
You are hiring total strangers to come into your parents' home and care for your parents. Whether the individuals are part of an agency, or they are freelance, you absolutely must request background checks. Agencies will usually conduct background checks prior to hiring their nursing care staff, but you still have the right to request the results of those background checks.
If you hire freelance care staff, they must agree to background checks, including state registry and/or state licensing boards for nursing assistants and nurses, respectively. Criminal records must also be checked as it is important to avoid hiring anyone with previous charges of assault, abuse, and/or theft.
Health Records
While you cannot ask your potential care staff such personal questions about their health, you can request that each person complete a physical and that they all have records of a clear TB test. Elderly people have poor immune systems. You want to be sure that your staff will not pass along anything contagious that could become a health problem for your parents. You also want to be certain that your care staff are all in good physical condition in the event that one of your parents needs physical assistance to move around or needs help getting up off the floor, or carried up and down flights of steps.
References
It is so important to check references when hiring personal care staff. Far too many people do not check references, and then they are surprised when something goes wrong. Regardless of which type of personal care staff you hire (i.e., agency staff or freelance staff), ask to see and check references. You cannot expect to provide the best possible care for your parents if you have no idea what kind of care was provided to previous clients and patients by the staff you intend to hire! Also, ask for at least three references, and check every one of them.
Share26 May 2018
After thinking about various ways to improve my home, I decided that it would be awesome to make my place suitable to care for relatives who were having a hard time with their health. I started talking with my mother's nurses and doctors about how they could live with me, and within a few days, I had made some powerful changes that really improved my home. For instance, I installed a safety bar in the bathroom and anti-slip rugs throughout my home. I wanted to start a great new website that centered around creating a solid home health care plan. Check out these posts to learn more.
