Caring for seniors is not only a delicate process but it’s one that requires knowledge and experience. Seniors can have a variety of medical conditions that need to be dealt with meticulously in order to ensure that they are healthy and safe at all times. Even simple things such as getting out of bed and eating food can be things that require a lot of attention to detail to be done efficiently and safely. 

Even if your senior family member is healthy and well it would still be a lot better to get a personal caregiver who knows how to deal with the temperament of seniors. During old age people are a lot more sensitive even to the smallest of changes and a good caregiver will be able to manage these sensitive details and will have the experience and knowledge to deal with a situation if things get out of hand. Before you hire someone to provide care for your loved one, here are some important considerations to keep in mind.

1.  Define the Job

When people go out to hire a caregiver they often discount the fact that their senior has very specific needs and requirements that need to be met in order for them to be safe and comfortable. If your senior suffers from diabetes for example, not only do they need the right medication, they need someone who can do certain tasks safely such as injecting insulin. The caregiver should know about the kinds of food that they can and those that they can’t have. As a person who is hiring a caregiver, it is your responsibility to clearly define the job requirements and to outline specific skills that the caregiver needs to have.

2.  Allow for Trials

The caregiver you hire is someone who will be spending a lot of time with the senior they are attending to. Moreover, they will take care of a lot of tasks for the senior which require a certain level of trust and friendship between the two people. 

When hiring caregivers you are restricted to hiring people locally and it’s not something you can outsource. If you are hiring caregivers San Diego has to offer, then you might want to schedule a meeting with a few candidates and let them have a conversation with the senior that they will be attending to. If both parties agree to continue, don’t rush to hire them, rather give them a week of probation and ask your senior if they are comfortable with the person who is attending to them. 

Similarly as the caregiver, if they are comfortable in this position and would like to continue long term. With both parties agreeing to continue you can make the experience safer and more comfortable for everyone involved. 

3.  The Right Solution

While it may seem more feasible and less of an economic burden to hire an individual directly as a caregiver, finding someone through an agency has its own benefits. In fact, you could choose to look for the right person through both mediums. Hiring a caregiver can be a difficult decision and ideally, you want someone who you can trust, who is punctual and professional, and knows their job well. 

The purpose is to find the right person, while hiring through an agency has its own benefits, many people do choose to shortlist candidates through direct employment. Rather than rushing through the process, it will be worth your time to sift through as many candidates as necessary till you find someone who your loved one is comfortable having.

4.  Certifications

Caregiving professionals often specialize in different areas. Some may be Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), or Home Health Aides (HHA). Depending on your requirements either one could be the right choice. You also need to consider whether they need additional skills such as driving or cooking if they will be required to perform these duties as well. 

A caregiver is an employee but they are nearly a part of the family considering the deep involvement that they have in everyday life and the amount of time that they spend in your home. Disputes and problems do tend to happen between caregivers and the person they are attending too and it’s important that you manage these in a calm manner. Senior patients are easily disturbed by the smallest of things and sometimes it’s not entirely the caregivers’ fault. 

When you are dealing with a caregiver you need to give them some room and not treat this profession as a normal full-time job. It is equally important to consider the behavior of the adult that they are taking care of, sometimes you might need to manage the behavior of the person being cared for rather than the caregiver. If you can help foster a friendly environment it will be more enjoyable and beneficial for all the participants.