I live 3000 miles from my father. He is in need of more care than he will admit to. I am spooked by the many articles I read about elder abuse and am therefore concerned about hiring live-in help when I am not there to observe. References don't always tell the story. How can I feel more comfortable with hiring help in this situation?
If you go through an agency you will have access to the caregiver's documentation regarding your father and if the caregiver isn't working out for whatever reason the agency will provide a new one. And if there's a problem with a caregiver the agency assumes the liability. If you go with a private duty caregiver working on her own and there's any kind of an incident she can just disappear one day and you'll never hear from her again. There's no accountability.
As you can tell I'm a big supporter of agency healthcare. While my agency wasn't perfect they were honest and looked out not just for our clients but for it's workers as well. When I was hired for a hospice assignment I never worried about what kind of situation I was walking into because my nursing supervisor would have been there first for an assessment.
Find yourself a reputable agency and check their online reviews.
Obviously I'm not going to accept that. The workers need to be responsible and not relieved of anything they do that could cause harm, and I suspect they probably are. The problem arises in whoever created a ridiculous contract, and I don't write that just facetiously. There are clear signs of an amateur involved in creating the contract's terms.