caregivers agency can provide bathing, dressing and toileting assistance, help with transferring and meal preparation. They can also assist with laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. They can also take loved ones to doctors’ appointments, hair salons, theaters and social engagements.
Families can expect to pay a caregiver agency by the hour or a flat fee. Agencies cover expenses like worker’s compensation insurance and the cost of background checks and training.
Peace of Mind
The agency handles the screening of caregivers, and hiring, matching and vetting. This eliminates the need for the family to do all that on their own. Agencies also typically have a manager and/or a registered nurse on staff to supervise the caregivers and provide ongoing support.
In addition, agencies usually have insurances in place to protect their clients and caregivers (check with the agency). These include liability and workers’ compensation. These protections may add up to a significant cost savings over hiring independent caregivers.
Caregivers are also often required to meet a minimum training requirement and are vetted for criminal background checks, purported qualifications and references. Agencies have strict policies to ensure their caregivers are prepared to deliver mindful care. Agencies are frequently able to offer additional benefits to caregivers that can improve employee retention including health insurance and education reimbursements. These are often tax-deductible to the employer. The agency may be able to match 401(k) contributions which is a great incentive for caregivers.
Time
A caregiver agency provides clients and their family members with a team of caregivers that are available to them around the clock. Unlike an independent caregiver who becomes the employer of their client, agencies handle all administrative details including a plan of care, scheduling, employee and payroll records, hiring, orientation, in-service training, client billing and verification that caregivers are taking appropriate breaks (for eating meals or sleeping).
Agencies also provide workers’ compensation and professional liability insurance to their employees. They also handle payroll taxes, which can be complicated for families to manage on their own. And they make sure that if a caregiver is sick or has an emergency, the agency will arrange for a backup. This allows a family to take a vacation without worrying that their loved one will be left alone for too long. Agencies also coordinate schedules to prevent gaps in service. And they work to ensure that last-minute cancellations do not result in a period of time without a caregiver.
Money
The direct costs that an agency takes on to hire, train and manage caregivers as their employer play into the rates they charge. Should families choose to hire privately, they would also need to take on these expenses themselves.
Agencies handle payroll taxes and often provide worker’s compensation and professional liability insurance for their employees. They also help clients get care from Medicaid, Medicare or long-term care insurance.
A Care Coordinator, or a Client Services Manager in some agencies, is responsible for overseeing a care recipient’s schedule and maintaining daily contact with their caregiver. They are the family’s first responders if a caregiver is ill, called out of work, or leaves early due to personal reasons. This provides a layer of scheduling protection that is hard to put a dollar value on, but is priceless to many. Agencies may be more expensive than a registry, but it’s worth the money when you consider all the benefits they offer.
Safety
Home health care workers are often working alone, which increases the risk of physical injury. Agencies typically require their employees to go through orientation and violence-prevention training and participate in ongoing safety programs. They also carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance, which protects both the caregiver and client in case of an accident at work or destroyed property at the client’s house.
Additionally, home health care agencies screen their employees’ driving records and conduct background checks. They may even provide an escort for staff visiting clients in high-crime areas. This provides peace of mind to families as well as safety for their elderly loved ones.
Many agencies also do a risk assessment before your mom joins as a service recipient to find hazards such as tripping risks and cluttered areas that could present a fire risk. They then address these issues to keep your mom safe at home, so you can leave on vacation without worrying about your mother’s care.