Decide if you need a caregiver
It may sound straightforward, but when you’re searching for a home caregiver, you first need to determine if you actually need one. No sense paying for someone else to watch TV or cook your meals if you don’t have trouble with these tasks yourself. One great way to gauge whether you require a caregiver is by consulting with a medical professional—your doctor can tell you what types of assistance might be helpful and decide whether or not a caregiver is needed on an ongoing basis.

Understand what your options are
While staffing agencies provide ample and often very high-quality options for temporary or traveling caregivers, what options are there for caregiving for those looking to hire long-term? The good news is that a variety of other companies exist and do so without much of a middleman. Often these companies are run by a healthcare professional who understands how important it is to have a reliable and trustworthy caregiver on hand at all times. Additionally, they will know exactly what will work best with your budget and family needs. For example, if you need help with late night coverage to allow your loved one to sleep well through the night you'll want to search only those services that meet your needs such as one or two hour stays or live in caretakers.

The Benefits of Full Time vs Part Time Care
Finding a reliable in-home caregiver is difficult. Many caregivers have unreliable schedules and don’t take care of their patients or are just not dependable as a caretaker. Part-time health care workers aren’t always available when you need them to be; they may work other jobs and therefore can be hard to schedule with since their schedules change so often. Full time health care workers are able to provide more consistent care for more hours each week.

Consider Staffing Agencies
If you’re looking for private-duty nursing services and caregiver help, a staffing agency might be your best bet. Staffing agencies are a great place to find high-quality workers because these agencies carefully screen candidates and will only put their nurses and other caregivers through rigorous training programs. If you can’t afford to hire directly from an agency, consider using an agency to help you recruit your own hires.

Meet with family members and patients
Before you hire a caregiver, meet with family members and patients of home healthcare caregivers. Family members will be able to give you a first-hand account of how they liked their caregiver and if they would recommend them to others. Also consider talking with other health care professionals like physicians and nurses who may work with these caregivers on a regular basis.

Research your State’s Licensing Requirements
State-specific caregiver licenses can help protect your loved ones. Each state has its own requirements for obtaining a caregiver license, so you’ll need to determine what it takes to obtain one. It will vary from state to state and depends on whether or not you will work with children or elderly clients. Usually, these licensing requirements include passing a criminal background check and other character checks as well as completing a training program for home care aides.

Interview at least 3 potential candidates/families
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential candidates or caregivers to meet with, you should interview at least three people for each position to ensure that you find an excellent fit. Interviewing isn’t something that needs to be formalized; just invite someone into your home and have a casual conversation. Talk about their experience (including previous employers), skills/attributes they have that will benefit you and your family, and why they would like to work for your family.

Conduct reference checks
Taking time to meet potential candidates and check references can help you avoid unpleasant surprises down the road. After all, a caregiver is someone who’ll be interacting with your family every day; it’s important to make sure they have positive personality traits and overall good character.

Write a Contract with References+

All caregivers should sign a contract with a client before beginning work. The formality of a contract will help you and your caregiver to agree on responsibilities and set parameters for what’s acceptable behavior. he formality of a contract will help you and your caregiver to agree on responsibilities and set parameters for what’s acceptable behavior. If there are any issues that arise during your time together, having a signed document can be useful when it comes time to resolve them.

Know when to refer out
If you run into any issues when caring for a patient at home—if your care falls outside of your expertise or skillset—don’t hesitate to refer out. It’s better to get an expert opinion than risk further injuring or even killing a client. When it comes to in-home healthcare, there are few things more important than safety and trust. If you find yourself lacking either one of these things with a client, refer them out.