When our loved ones get to that stage where they nor we can give them the 24/7 care they need, available home care options are immediately brought to the fore. 
Senior home care options should be carefully considered to ensure that these loved ones at this delicate stage of their life’s journey, are able to receive the best possible care. Therefore, there are some necessary steps to take to ensure that the home care aide is properly screened and is a safe and dependable choice. Without the help of a home care registry, proper screening is much easier said than done. Below we discuss why.
Finding Your Caregiver: About Direct Hiring
It may be tempting to try and directly hire a home care aide to tend to the needs of your elderly loved ones, as you may possibly be able to save money on the fees associated with hiring through an agency or registry. What you save in money, however, you may lose in time and resources. The fact is, if you opt to go the independent route, you will likely have to carry out the tasks that a registry or agency would have carried out for you. These tasks include agreeing on pay rates, researching backgrounds and deciding on the duties to be performed, among others. By opting to undertake independent hiring, you agree to:
- Screen your caregivers, including conducting drug screens, fingerprint-based background checks, checking credit history, checking sexual offenders registries and other criminal databases, and verifying healthcare certifications.
- Set up a tax system ensuring that both you and your caregiver are paying all the legally required taxes.
- Provide your caregiver with the necessary insurance (legal protection) A
- Determine how work hours will be treated, including sick days, time off, and vacation.
Why You Should Use A Licensed Home Care Registry
A home care registry lists medical practitioners of all sorts and is a reliable referral service in this regard. It is true that it may cost more money at the onset to use a home care registry to hire a caregiver, however, you will be saved from having to do some of the sometimes overwhelming administrative tasks that come with the territory of hiring an aide independently. These administrative tasks (as listed above) will be handled by the registry on your behalf. There will be no need to seek out practitioners on your own, and certainly no need to endure the arduous task of rigorous screening. In fact, you will find that most home care registries rigorously screen the professionals listed with them. As such, you are likely to be guaranteed a higher level of safety and dependability, in the final analysis, where your hire is concerned.
A licensed elderly home care registry will see to it that all professionals in its stead are:
Reputable
All background checks would have been conducted and all would have been in order by the time the aide gets to your home.
Licensed
Healthcare professionals that are listed with a registry are likely to be certified by the state, national and governing bodies to carry out their health care services.
Taxes, Work Contracts and Other Details
In addition to the above, home care registries are likely to assist some with other issues pertaining to its listed members like taxes, insurance and work contract. When you hire an aide through a registry, you are able to provide the registry with a list of tasks and duties to be carried out should they accept the job. Once the caregiver has been selected, however, it is up to you to finalize scheduling with your new hire. The caregiver, who is an independent contractor will be required to pay over his or her own taxes. This is in stark contrast to what would happen through direct hire, where you as the employer would be responsible for tax related issues on behalf of the caregiver. As far as it concerns days off, sick days, and vacations, you can opt to hire a temporary replacement through the same registry, when you need a backup worker.
Finally, a licensed registry is also likely to:
- ensure that the caregiver is insured against malpractice
- understand his and her duties, tasks, and responsibilities as it pertains to your needs and the needs of your elderly loved ones
- ensure that you get a good match for you and your family
Since 1998, we at Boca Home Care Services have been matching screened and certified home care aides and nursing assistants to seniors in Boca Raton and the surrounding cities in Broward and Palm Beach counties. You can obtain more information and arrange for an in-home interview by calling: (561) 989-0611 or toll free (877) 706-0785
