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The Caregiver's Journey

Navigating the Caregiver Hiring Process: Five Essential Tips / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias

The Caregiver's Journey

Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster

How To, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Mental Health, Business, Education, Non-profit

5 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When the time comes to bring professional caregiving support into your loved one’s life, the process can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re hiring a caregiver for home care or to complement care in a community setting, understanding how to find, evaluate, and select the right person is crucial for both your peace of mind and your loved one’s well being.

We are Nancy Treaster and Sue Ryan, we’ve developed five essential tips for hiring a paid caregiver, based on real experiences and practical advice from caregiving experts. These insights will help you navigate this important transition with confidence and clarity.

Connect with us and share your tips:


Full Show Notes

https://thecaregiversjourney.com/32-navigating-the-caregiver-hiring-process-five-essential-tips-alzheimers-and-other-dementias/


Additional Resources Mentioned


Takeaways

Tip 1: Assess Your Loved One’s Needs

Before you begin searching for a caregiver, it’s important to thoroughly understand what kind of support your loved one requires. This assessment will guide all your subsequent decisions about the type of caregiver, frequency of care, and specific qualifications needed.


Consider these key areas when assessing needs:

  • Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
  • Medical Needs
  • Household Management Tasks
  • Safety Concerns
  • Transportation and Mobility
  • Companionship Needs


Tip 2: Determine the Type of Caregiver and Frequency Needed

There are three main categories of paid caregivers, each with different training levels and capabilities:

  • Companion Care
  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
  • Skilled Nursing

Tip 3: Understand Your Financial Resources

Review Your Financial Resources

  • Savings and investment accounts
  • Long-term care insurance policies
  • Regular income sources
  • Family financial contributions.


Explore Available Benefits

  • Medicare
  • Medicaid
  • Veterans Benefits


Consider Family Contributions


Tip 4: Decide Between Agency or Private Hire

When you work with a caregiving agency:

  • They Handle Administrative Tasks
  • They Provide Backup Coverage
  • They Offer Training and Supervision
  • They Assume Liability


Private Hire Benefits

  • It’s Usually Less Expensive
  • You Have Complete Control
  • There’s Often More Flexibility
  • You May Find Through Word-of-Mouth


Private Hire Challenges

  • You’re the Employer
  • No Backup Coverage
  • Limited Screening Resources


Tip 5: Evaluate potential caregivers thoroughly

Key Questions for Interviews

  • Scheduling and Availability
  • Qualifications and Experience
  • Approach to Care
  • Communication Style

Background Checks and References

Set Clear Expectations

Especially for private hires, establish from the beginning that the arrangement is on a trial basis.

Include Your Loved One When Appropriate


Next Steps: Care Plans and Integration

  • Develop a written plan 
  • Develop an Integration Strategy


Read More in This Blog here 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is the Whole Care Network,

0:02.5

helping you tell your story one podcast at a time.

0:16.3

Content presented in the following podcast is for information purposes only.

0:22.7

Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests

0:28.1

and may not represent the views and opinions of the Whole Care Network.

0:33.2

Always consult with your physician for any medical advice.

0:36.8

And always consult with your attorney for any legal advice and always consult with your attorney for

0:39.0

any legal advice. And thank you for listening to the Whole Care Network.

0:52.6

Is it time to hire a caregiver for your loved one? In this episode, we're talking about the process

1:00.3

of finding a paid caregiver. We're sharing five tips. Welcome. We're Sue Ryan and Nancy

1:09.3

Treister. This podcast brings our years of experience in a variety of family caregiving roles to prepare you to navigate your caregiving journey.

1:17.7

We're sharing our personal experiences, not medical advice, and because it's our passion to support you on your journey, we believe no topic is on limits.

1:28.6

Let's get started.

1:42.9

Whether you're hiring a caregiver for home or you're hiring a caregiver to complement the care of your loved one in a community. Either way, the best thing

1:48.0

you can do is get through as much of this process as possible before you desperately need

1:54.3

a caregiver. So true. Understand if you're going to use an agency. Understand if you're going to go

1:59.7

private. Have an idea of who

2:02.0

those caregivers might be because you never know when you're going to get in the situation

2:06.6

where you're not going to have time to go through this process we're talking about here

2:11.5

in the ideal order over the ideal period of time.

2:18.1

So something to think about.

2:20.5

If you've never hired a professional caregiver before,

...

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