When you decide to hire home care services, you want to ensure that your elderly loved one receives the best possible care. Trusting an outsider with the personal responsibilities of your loved one can be challenging. When searching for home care services, you may feel apprehensive and confused about the whole process. While allowing several people into your home can be worrisome, the process will be more straightforward when you know what you are looking for in a home care service provider.

Before hiring a caregiver, you should take your time to interview several prospects until you find the right fit. While some companies prefer to speak to you on the phone, it would be wise to hold a face-to-face meeting to discuss your needs and their services. The following are interview questions that can help you gather basic information about a company’s services to determine if they suit your needs:

  1. Are You Certified To Provide Homecare Services?

One of the main things that you need to think about when selecting a caregiver or home care service for yourself or a loved one is the legitimacy of the caregiving services. Determining the legitimacy of a homecare company will require that you check their licensing and certifications. Different organizations certify home care services organizations. These organizations include the National Association of Home Care and Hospice and the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Care.

When you check out for different certifications and awards given to a home care company, it would be wise to determine if the organization is suitable to be a care provider for your loved one. When a home care agency has proper certification, it boosts your confidence in their caregivers.

The professionals you entrust with caring for your loved one should be adequately trained to provide the services that you need. However, not all staff members in a home care agency will need a degree or certification. However, the individuals who will be providing immediate care for your loved one will need a certification. Before you settle for a home care agency, you must ensure that the caregivers and the agency are certified to provide the services you need.

  1. What Type Of Services Do You Offer?

Another factor you need to consider when choosing a home care services provider is the variety of services they offer. When it comes to home care, there are two categories of services you may need, and they include home care and health care services:

  • Health Care Services

Health care services are for individuals suffering from serious illnesses, and you do not want to have your loved one confined in a hospital. Certified nurses provide health care services. The nurses or their assistants will offer the medical assistance that the person needs. At mom's home care, we do not offer medical care but will be responsible for your loved one's well-being and daily life.

  • Home Care Services

Sometimes, you may have an elderly loved one who finds it challenging to perform daily tasks. In such a case, you will need a home care services provider to provide services like:

  • Shopping and Errands. Older adults may find it challenging to carry out some daily errands. Also, they may not be able to operate vehicles to go where they want. A good home caregiver should be able to do this for your loved one.
  • Sometimes you may be too busy with work and your daily life to spend time with your loved one. A senior citizen who lives on their own may develop psychological disorders like depression. A home caregiver should be trained to provide companionship and day-to-day social interactions.
  • Performing household chores can be tiresome and detrimental to an elder's health. Therefore, the home caregiver could help them with these tasks to help avoid fatigue and strain on their bodies.
  • Personal Care.There comes a time in our lives where tasks like personal grooming become difficult. Most elderly persons often suffer from different conditions that make performing activities like bathing and grooming difficult. If your loved one cannot do all these activities, the caregiver must be trained to help them with utmost respect and reliability. 

  1. Do You Specialize In A Client's Specific Needs?

There are several reasons why many people opt to hire home care services for their loved ones. Home caregivers can offer a wide range of skills, and you need to enquire before you settle with one. A good home care professional is trained to handle the specific needs of the clients. Sometimes it may be due to old age, while other individuals have ailments that require constant care and attention.

A home care services agency should offer additional training to its staff to meet the specific need and provide the services that your loved one requires.

  1. Do You Have A Written Care Plan?

Whether the homecare professional works through an agency or is independent, they must provide you with a written service plan. Writing a home care plan will ensure that you and the home care agency staff are aware of the plan. Some of the information that should be included in a home care plan include:

  • Your signature and that of the home care professional agreeing to the services. 
  • A clear description of the professional’s type of home care service for your loved one. 
  • Identification of the staff or categories of staff who will provide the care services.
  • Information regarding the fees for the services.
  • The frequency of the care service sessions.

In addition to the above information, good home care professional must have a contingency plan indicating the kind of action you should take if your loved one fails to receive the services as scheduled. Care plans are not static documents and can be revised at any time. If the services that professional change based on your preference, the service plan must be updated. This will ensure that you receive the right bills for the specific services that your loved one receives.

  1. How Do You Communicate With Clients And Their Families Regarding Your Concerns And Recommendations?

Instead of placing your loved one in a home for the elderly, you can opt for home care services. Many families opt to retain home care services from afar. In this case, they can maintain their lifestyle and receive help on the things that are difficult for them to do. Communication is critical when you seek long-distance home care services for a loved one.

When interviewing potential home care professionals, you need to know how they plan to keep you informed regarding your loved one's well-being. Also, they should provide a straightforward way for you to communicate with them if you have concerns about the services they provide for your loved one. It can be frustrating to call your home care professional for an urgent concern with your loved one and fail to reach them. Therefore, an open line of communication is a crucial part of seeking home care services.

  1. Do You Have Backup Care Options And Procedures?

When you opt for home care services for your loved ones, you want them to be comfortable at all times in their home space. Also, it ensures that their lives are not disrupted by the routine they have created. No single caregiver can handle assisting continuously, especially when your loved one needs to be taken care of all the time. In this case, your loved one should be assigned multiple caregivers to provide for their needs.

A good home care services agency has proper replacement procedures. Without these procedures, your loved one could be left unattended. If you are not comfortable with the processes that an agency has put in place to ensure your loved one receives care throughout, they may not be the best fit for you.

  1. Are You Insured?

All home care services professionals must be insured. Also, they should have undergone a thorough background check. A home care service provider is an individual you will entrust the safety of your loved one and your home at all times. Therefore, you must ensure that they have been properly screened and met the right criteria to provide the services.

  1. How Often Are Your In-Home Care Services Available?

Flexibility is an important aspect of home care services. When you start, you may only need care for a loved one for a few hours. However, this may turn to a need for twenty-four-hour care depending on your loved one's condition. Sometimes, your loved one could be suffering from a condition that worsens by the day, and with time they will require total care. Before settling for a particular home care professional, it would be wise to ask about their working hours and how often they provide their services.

If a home care service agency can work round the clock to provide the services you need, they may be the right fit for you. You want to avoid being flexible professionals since your loved one could be left unattended or fail to receive services when they need them most.

  1. What Kind Of Food Do You Cook, And What Is Your Level Of Experience In Meal Preparation?

Meal preparation is an important aspect of home care services. Mostly, people who need home care services find it difficult to perform tasks like preparing meals. In addition to being picky with what they eat, the elderly need a specific diet to meet their health and nutritional needs. If your loved one needs meal preparation services from a home care professional, it is important to know whether they are experienced in cooking.

Food can be an incredible problem-solver, and you want to keep your loved one as comfortable as possible. Therefore, it helps if the caregiver can prepare what your loved one enjoys. Although this should not be a deal-breaker, it can be an opportunity for you to learn the similarities that your loved one and the caregiver have.

  1. How Much Do You Charge for Your Services?

A good home care professional can break down their costs depending on the specific services that you are seeking. This will include 24-hour care as well as the weekends. Also, you can ask them about the forms of payment they accept. If the nature of their services changes upon your request, you should be notified of the change in the charges.

  1. How Quickly Can You Start the Services?

In most cases, the need for home care for a loved one is an urgent matter. If your loved one is being discharged from the hospital and needs someone to take care of them, you need a home care professional who can start as soon as possible. This will help establish a routine for your loved one. Also, how fast the caregivers or agency responds to your need for a caregiver can give you an overview of how they will handle your loved one.

Find Homecare Services Near Me

Finding the right home care services is one of the most important decisions you can make for yourself and your loved one. The process of finding the right fit for the individual who needs care could be challenging. However, before you decide, you should consider interviewing multiple caregivers and agencies. Conducting interviews is one of the best ways through which you can know the person you are hiring.

By asking several questions regarding the caregiver's qualifications, the type of services they offer, and their charges, you will be sure to find a person who suits your needs. If a potential caregiver does not offer straightforward answers or fails to answer the questions, they may not be the right person to entrust with your loved one.

If you need home care services for a sick or elderly member of your family, we invite you to contact Mom's Home Care. Our experts are available to provide home care services and ensure the comfort and well-being of your loved one if seeking home care services in Los Angeles,CA. Call us today at 323-244-4789 to schedule an appointment.