Choosing the right kind of care for your loved one is one of the most important choices you’ll ever make. Often, even the process of accepting that you need outside help is incredibly arduous, so the task of selecting where and who will be doing the caring can seem even more daunting.

Do you need around-the-clock care or just a few hours a day? Are there medical needs in addition to routine tasks that they need help with? Can your loved one stay in their home or do they need to be in a facility that can better cater to their needs with things like accessibility and a community environment? 

Regardless of the answers to these questions, the next question can feel the most important: who can I trust to be sure my loved one is taken care of respectfully, correctly and with compassion? 

This question feels most important because it is – if your loved one’s caretaker can’t be trusted, the risks are incredibly high. With seemingly endless options, like the 3.6 million home health and personal care aides available, here are a few things that I recommend considering when creating a care plan for your loved one. I’ve also included a few cautionary tales of what can happen when you don’t fully vet your caregivers..

Ask for recommendations and read reviews

The best place to start to find care you trust is to ask those you already trust. Ask family and friends who are in similar situations what companies they have used and liked. Still, it’s important to do your own research. 

Read online reviews for the companies you are considering and check to see if they have been in the news recently. A quick Google News search of the company name can bring up useful information, both good and bad. It can also help you avoid companies or individuals who have been involved in elder abuse cases, like this tragic situation of neglect and abuse by an in-home caregiver.

Seek out certifications 

If your loved one needs significant medical care, or care for conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s, you’ll want to be sure that the agency you hire has providers that are certified to attend to those needs. Focus on agencies like Perfect Care Nursing that offer specializations like registered nurses who can administer and manage medications or assist with different physical or occupational therapies, or someone who has special training or experience with memory loss patients.

Having a caregiver who isn’t well versed in your loved one’s needs can lead to frustration for everyone involved; needs not being met, protocols not being followed, or even danger to your loved one. In cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s there can often be high levels of confusion and disorientation for the patient. Caregivers that have experience with these kinds of situations know the best ways to help calm patients and above all, keep them safe. Without proper training or experience, there’s a risk of mistreatment or suffering for your loved one, like the harrowing case in Iowa where an employee restrained a disoriented patient to a chair using bedsheets. 

Communication is key

Open, honest communication from everyone involved in the caregiving situation is imperative. From asking questions about staff’s backgrounds and company policies at the start, to being sure that your loved one’s needs are being heard and met throughout the relationship are factors that will determine the success of the caregiving arrangement.

Communication remains an important piece of the arrangement as your loved one’s conditions and preferences may change over time. It’s also essential to being sure that the relationship remains respectful and beneficial. A recent case in Florida illustrates the risks involved when communication and oversight aren’t prioritized; a caretaker stole more than $216,000 from their 96-year-old patient with dementia over the course of the four years she was being cared for.

At Perfect Care Nursing, we offer a wide range of services that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your family. When your loved one needs skilled nursing care or even just assistance with light household chores, we can help. Whether you are looking for a long-term solution, or just someone to fill in for a few days, you can trust that our skilled and trained caregivers will care for your loved ones like they are family.