by Rose Broyles

Choosing a caregiver to help you care for your parents can really ease the burden and stress on you and your family. Of course, not everyone is financially able to hire outside help. However, if you are able to put aside some funds to hire even part-time help, it can make all the difference in the world. Going through the process of hiring can be a little difficult. Just like any employer, you’re going to decide on who, what, how much, and when.

Agency or Private Care

Before you start searching, the #1 factor to consider is of course, money. If you can’t afford to hire outside help, then it is better to check with your local senior agency about state-funded caregiving (like we did) for a few hours a month. There is a bit of a wait, but anything is better than nothing.  Let’s suppose you are able to raise funds (either through your contributions and/or your parents), should you hire through an agency or private?  Most people choose private care because it is cheaper than hiring through an agency. Listed below are pros and cons about each.

Agency

Pros:

• Licensed and bonded. – Any legitimate agency will go through the proper legal channels before the establish business. Their caregivers are covered by insurance should they get injured on the job. That liability is something you don’t have to worry about.
• Criminal Background Checks- every caregiver has to pass a criminal background check before they are hired on.
• Payroll, benefits, etc. are handled by the agency.
• You can hire part-time, weekend, overnight, or live-in caregivers.
• Extra staff. If your caregiver gets sick or goes on vacation, you have backup available most of the time. If the agency is organized, you will have someone available almost right away.

Cons

• In the U.S., the average hourly rate is $19-25.00/hr more or less depending on what part of the country you live in. If you only have the caregiver for a 12-hour shift, at $25.00/hr, you’re looking at $300/day, $2100/week for 7 days, and $9000/ month and that’s just 12 hours! That doesn’t account for the extra hours, if you have a live-in caregiver. If you have a live-in caregiver, you get charged every time they wake up in the middle of the night to assist your parent. At this point, if this is something out of your reach,  you may consider assisted living or private hire. Both are a cheaper alternative. See my previous article on Types of Senior Housing.
• Caregivers may be limited to what duties they can perform. Our free caregiver (the one we got through the state for 1 year) is not allowed to disperse medicine to our mom.
• If you have various caregivers alternating, you will have to be on top of everything because confusion  and interruption can occur about yours or your parents’ needs and wishes on their care. You also will not be able to develop the repoire you might have with just 1 caregiver, or your parents may become agitated or confused with so many people revolving around their care.

Before you choose any agency. Do a lot of research! Check references, look around, interview. You may be able to even get 1 free trial visit to see if they are who you may want to work with.

Private Care

Pros:

• Cheaper. You can negotiate salary with the caregiver. You may pay per day, or a lower hourly rate. Let me share this with you , typically, agencies will charge $25.00/hr but pocket $15.00 for themselves. The caregiver is actually making around $10-12/hr.
• Contrary to what you may hear, you can perform your own background check. Just go to your local sheriff’s office and pay the fee (probably around $25.00). Have your caregiver fill out a standard job application with proper identification and submit it.
• You can decide who you want to hire, based on the responses to your ad or referral. Of course, you can accept or decline an agency’s assignment too. But you’re more in control if you hire a caregiver on your own.
• You and the caregiver can decide  the flexibility of their duties and schedule.

Cons

• You only have one caregiver, maybe two. So, what happens if they get sick or they want to go on vacation? You will have to take their place, unless you have other back up plans. My suggestion is to have an agency as a backup in case that happens.
• You will be responsible for taxes, insurance, etc. IF that is what you choose to do. You may pay under the table. Whatever route you choose to take, keep in mind, the risks/benefits involved from doing so. I’m not endorsing either/or route.
• Experience. This can be a tricky one because, we’ve had caregivers come through to us from agencies with little/no experience. So this one is really just something to consider when you hire someone. Depending how complicated the caregiving is, you may only need someone to clean, lift, and do daily living tasks. But, if the caregiving is more involved, you may need to look for someone with certified experience such as a CNA.

Possible Alternative – Caregiving in exchange for Room and Board

This is a newer trend that I’ve been seeing lately as I’ve scanned local want ads for research purposes. Some agencies have been set up to match potential clients with caregivers who are willing to provide assistance and companionship in exchange for free room and board. I have not heard enough yet about this method to form a valid opinion. But I will definitely be researching it and keeping you up to date on anything new or interesting that I find. If you have experience with this, please feel free to share here! Again, your family will have to decide what is best for the pocket, and what is best for Mom and Dad’s quality of care. I hope that this helps you in your search.

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