Once you’ve decided that Mom or Dad, or both, are in need of a professional to come into their home to help them with the routine activities of daily life and provide them with the companionship everyone needs, the question becomes, “Do I find a caregiver through a home care agency or do I hire a private caregiver who works independently?”

Yes, this article is written from the perspective of a home care agency. Still, you won’t find us talking negatively about private caregivers – many of our caregivers here at Home Instead Senior Care approached us when they were private caregivers.

There is an advantage of working with a private caregiver, and that advantage is cost. At Home Instead of Naples, FL, all of our CAREgivers are employees, so it’s going to cost us a little bit more to provide all of the benefits a good employer offers. On the other hand, independent caregivers have a lower operating cost and sometimes pass that along to their clients.

But, if you’ve ever bought on price alone, you know that can backfire on you. There are other things to consider when you’re deciding which road to take when finding the right caregiver for your loved one.

Here are some important criteria that you should use when evaluating your options:

Backup Caregivers

When you work with an agency, and your regular caregiver can’t come in due to illness or personal reasons, the agency can provide you with a backup caregiver. You won’t have to adjust your schedule and stay home or find a replacement yourself.

References and Background Checks

Having interviewed and hired many caregivers, a home care agency has expert recruiting skills that can spot something that you and other family members may not pick up on. Recruiting for the right caregiver through an agency reduces your risk of hiring the wrong person. We carefully check references and do a thorough background check that might be difficult to duplicate.

Supervision

Do you have the time or experience to hire, train, supervise, and possibly fire a caregiver? An agency takes care of all that for you. They assume full responsibility to ensure that the home care worker provides the level of care that a professional should. If you’re not satisfied, you can contact the agency immediately for a replacement.

Insurance and Bonding

Does your homeowners’ insurance cover your liability if someone working for you in your home slips and falls or cuts themself while they’re at your home performing their duties? What will you do if you discover a valuable heirloom missing after your private caregiver leaves for the day?

A home care agency will handle all of that for you. They’ll have workers’ compensation insurance to cover their employees while they’re on the job at your home, and our caregivers are bonded – meaning they’ve been carefully screened. You’re covered if they are responsible for anything happening to your property.

Why Choose Home Instead of Naples, FL’s CAREGivers?

Home Instead Senior Care of Naples, Florida, provides you with all of these advantages that only an agency can offer. Being a home care agency, our hourly rate may be slightly higher than private caregivers. However, your total out-of-pocket expense is less by us having the caregivers on our payroll. You’ll also have less stress and greater peace of mind by having us take the burden of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and supervising off of your shoulders.

Contact us today and schedule a free in-home consultation so we can get to know each other and talk about your needs. We provide the best-in-care for seniors in Naples, Fort Myers, Charlotte County, and the surrounding area. We look forward to visiting with you.