{"id":7182,"date":"2015-11-13T07:02:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-13T13:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=7182"},"modified":"2020-10-14T08:17:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T13:17:44","slug":"home-care-services-use-an-agency-or-hire-your-own-caregiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/11\/home-care-services-use-an-agency-or-hire-your-own-caregiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Care Services: Use an Agency or Hire Your Own Caregiver?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7184\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/10\/Home-Care-Services-Use-an-Agency-or-Hire-Your-Own-Caregiver-350x350.png\" alt=\"Home Care Services - Use an Agency or Hire Your Own Caregiver\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/10\/Home-Care-Services-Use-an-Agency-or-Hire-Your-Own-Caregiver-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/10\/Home-Care-Services-Use-an-Agency-or-Hire-Your-Own-Caregiver-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/10\/Home-Care-Services-Use-an-Agency-or-Hire-Your-Own-Caregiver-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/10\/Home-Care-Services-Use-an-Agency-or-Hire-Your-Own-Caregiver.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>Home Care Services: Use an Agency or Hire Your Own Caregiver?<\/h1>\n<p>When you\u2019re ready for help at home, your next choice is whether to hire a caregiver directly or use a senior care agency. Hiring a caregiver gives you total control of the process, but the tradeoff is more time spent on administrative tasks. There are other considerations, too. Here are some questions to ask before you make your choice.<\/p>\n<h2>Can you manage the hiring process yourself?<\/h2>\n<p>Hiring someone is a job in its own right. Unless you already have an independent caregiver in mind, like a family member or a neighbor, you\u2019ll need to post job ads, choose among the responses, schedule interviews, and check professional and personal references. You should also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/nextavenue\/2013\/05\/08\/how-to-hire-and-when-to-fire-a-caregiver\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>ask to see proof of CPR and first aid training<\/strong><\/a> as well as recent negative test results for tuberculosis and the contagious \u201csuperbug\u201d MRSA (Methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus<\/em>). A criminal background check is a must as well.<\/p>\n<p>A professional agency will handle these tasks for the caregivers it hires. That can free you up to focus on making a match between caregiver and care recipient.<\/p>\n<h2>Do you mind handling payroll, paperwork, taxes and insurance?<\/h2>\n<p>Hiring an employee means taking responsibility for writing paychecks, paying Social Security taxes, and keeping everything square on your income tax returns. You\u2019ll also need to talk to your insurance agent. Most homeowners\u2019 policies don\u2019t cover household employees, and you\u2019ll want protection in case your caregiver is ever injured while working in your home.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, agency caregivers are covered by the agency\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n<h2>How will you manage caregiver vacations, sick days, and family emergencies?<\/h2>\n<p>Agencies coordinate backup care if your regular caregiver is sick or on vacation.<\/p>\n<p>If you hire your own caregiver, you\u2019ll need backup caregivers you can call on short notice. If your caregiver has family members who can help, that may be your best plan. If not, you\u2019ll need to interview, screen, and hire a backup caregiver or two.<\/p>\n<h2>How good are you at delivering feedback?<\/h2>\n<p>Some people are pros at giving feedback to the folks who work for them, and they get good results. Some people are hesitant to speak up, and that can lead to problems.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re comfortable being politely direct about what you need, managing your own care will be easier than if you\u2019re uncomfortable. If you\u2019re really conflict-averse, agency management can serve as a third party to relay your concerns to your caregiver.<\/p>\n<h2>What if you need to change caregivers?<\/h2>\n<p>Agency clients can request a new caregiver if the current one isn\u2019t working out. If you\u2019ve got a pool of applicants you can hire directly, you have options, too. When you hire people you know, things are trickier. What if you need to fire a well-meaning friend or relative who can\u2019t handle the work? Consider how your professional relationship might affect your personal relationship, especially if your daily care needs are complicated or physically demanding.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that this choice doesn\u2019t need to be \u201ceither-or.\u201d It can be \u201cboth-and.\u201d For example, you might hire a trusted relative for daily care and use an agency to cover her vacations. You might hire an agency for the daily routine and bring in a friend for tasks that he or she enjoys, like coloring your hair or whipping up meals to freeze for later. When you know your options, you can build a care network that works with your strengths.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about home care services and for a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/checklist\/in-home-care\" target=\"_blank\">checklist of questions to ask as you interview caregivers<\/a><\/strong>, please click <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/in-home-care\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/strong>. You can also call <strong>(866) 592-8119<\/strong> to speak with a local Home Care Advisor for more info on the agencies in your area.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home Care Services: Use an Agency or Hire Your Own Caregiver? When you\u2019re ready for help at home, your next choice is whether to hire a caregiver directly or use a senior care agency. Hiring a caregiver gives you total control of the process, but the tradeoff is more time spent on administrative tasks. There are other considerations, too. Here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,29,27],"tags":[30,388],"class_list":{"0":"post-7182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-caregiving","8":"category-in-home-care","9":"tag-caregiving-2","10":"tag-home-care"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Home Care Services: Use an Agency or Hire Your Own Caregiver?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you\u2019re ready for home care services, your next choice is whether to hire a caregiver directly or use an agency. 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