My mom had 24/7 care in her home for 3 years. We recently placed her in a nursing home because her money will be gone soon. We started with an agency & they were awful. Employees (8 hr. shifts) wouldn’t show up, would leave early, not call & tell anyone, leaving my mom completely helpless. Also other issues. She fared much better with people we hired ourselves. It was also cheaper. You can have them do background checks & drug screens. We were afraid to go with the live in route because of the host of problems that could bring.
bartellrick, We hired an agency for my FIL. The caregiver had their own bedroom/bath. She stayed 24/7. I would take her to the groc. store on Sundays while hubby stayed w FIL. Caregiver made meals, lightly cleaned, etc, but stayed in her room unless Dad called her. When caregiver had to be away, there was alway a replacement, so we didn't have to worry about someone not being there. We paid the agency & they took care of the compensation for caregiver. This option was less than an assisted living home.
A warning about Care.com: I hired someone from there as a live in & they were an alcoholic & drank ALL of my expensive liquors & liqueurs. I owned some restaurants, so I had quite a few.
bartellrick, ah yes, finding a compatible caregiver. When my Dad needed caregivers, I had used an Agency [licensed, bonded, insured, and had workman's comp for their employees] who would set up 3 shifts of caregivers, instead of having someone live in the house. Depending on your Mom's needs, one doesn't want to overload a live-in caregiver.
The Agency would send out a different person on each shift until Dad decided on who he would wish to have on a regular basis.
Dad choose someone who had a similar background. Dad grew up on a farm, and so did the 2 caregivers he had chosen. Both loved his sense of humor and would get a good laugh out of what he said. And both caregivers were in their 50's had recently lost a father so Dad became their "adopted Dad". We just lucked out :)
Good luck in your caregiver search. Hope it will be a win-win.
Thanks Freqflyer, Yes she is doing very well for 94. We are just worried about inviting someone to live in your home that you really don't know. Picking out the right person will be key. That was an excellent suggestion about getting in touch with her insurance agent to purchase workman's comp.
bartellrick, from your profile it seems that your Mom is doing quite well at 94. I can see why she would prefer to remain in her home, and to have someone around to help her during the day.
Glad to read that besides room/board for the caregiver, that your Mom will also pay her. One thing your Mom will need to do is call her homeowner's insurance carrier as Mom will need to purchase a "workman's comp" policy for the caregiver. This helps if for some reason the caregiver gets hurt on the job.
As for paying the caregiver, Mom will need to decide to whether take out payroll taxes or pay the caregiver as an "independent contractor". There are payroll companies who will do the payroll taxes, but there would be a fee. Mom will also need to have an employment contract, so everyone is on the same page as to what is expected of the caregiver, and her hourly rate. And what days the caregiver will have off.
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A warning about Care.com: I hired someone from there as a live in & they were an alcoholic & drank ALL of my expensive liquors & liqueurs. I owned some restaurants, so I had quite a few.
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The Agency would send out a different person on each shift until Dad decided on who he would wish to have on a regular basis.
Dad choose someone who had a similar background. Dad grew up on a farm, and so did the 2 caregivers he had chosen. Both loved his sense of humor and would get a good laugh out of what he said. And both caregivers were in their 50's had recently lost a father so Dad became their "adopted Dad". We just lucked out :)
Good luck in your caregiver search. Hope it will be a win-win.
Again thanks
Bartellrick
Glad to read that besides room/board for the caregiver, that your Mom will also pay her. One thing your Mom will need to do is call her homeowner's insurance carrier as Mom will need to purchase a "workman's comp" policy for the caregiver. This helps if for some reason the caregiver gets hurt on the job.
As for paying the caregiver, Mom will need to decide to whether take out payroll taxes or pay the caregiver as an "independent contractor". There are payroll companies who will do the payroll taxes, but there would be a fee. Mom will also need to have an employment contract, so everyone is on the same page as to what is expected of the caregiver, and her hourly rate. And what days the caregiver will have off.
Let us know how this works out for your Mom :)