Our 3 Golden In-Home Caregiver Tips for Peace of Mind

Getting old is entirely part of nature’s process, and sometimes, you can’t help but ask for assistance when you need to take care of an older adult. Sometimes, they’ll need round-the-clock medical assistance or need someone to assist them in doing various daily tasks. An excellent way to manage this is by hiring an in-home caregiver.

However, some people may feel guilty about hiring someone to help care for their loved ones, but that shouldn’t be the case. As much as you want to be there for your older loved ones 24/7, you might not have the luxury to do so. It’s much better to get care-at-home services so that a professional can properly take care of your loved one and address any complications that they may experience daily.

3 Golden In-Home Caregiver Tips

Once you’ve hired an in-home caregiver, you’ll probably have a few concerns, like safety, reliability, and if you can trust this person. If you’re worried about those things, keep reading. Here are some tips to follow so you can feel more at ease knowing your older loved one is in good care.

1. Make sure you do regular background checks. Before hiring an in-home caregiver, you’ve most likely done an initial background check. However, doing one isn’t enough, and instead, you should repeat this process every 6 to 12 months. By doing this, you’re aware of any changes in their lifestyle and get any updates that may affect how they provide service. You can do this by checking their name in the national database, local court records, state elder abuse registries, verify their social security number, and check their driving record too. If you’ve hired an in-home caregiver from an agency, figure out how often the company refreshes their background checks and which database they use so that you can do a more comprehensive check. Hiring caregivers from care-at-home services is ideal not only for safety but also because they can guarantee that they’ll match you with the right caregiver who has experience with your older adult’s needs.
2. Observe and spot signs of trouble. When you feel like your in-home caregiver isn’t doing a fine job, you might notice visible warning signs. If you’re feeling uneasy about the situation, you should trust your gut, dig deeper into the problem, and keep track of their actions.



Here are some red flags you should watch out for:

• When the in-home caregiver ignores your instructions and makes decisions on their own and how they choose to
• You can’t seem to reach your in-home caregiver when left with your older loved one
• When they’re too focused on their phone, computer, or television
• When the older adult’s personal hygiene is being neglected
• When the older adult is showing signs of physical or mental trauma
3. Monitor activities with a video camera. The reason people are encouraged to monitor activities using video cameras is to discourage any type of abuse. Cameras aren’t meant to catch someone in the act, but instead, it’s used as a tool to prevent situations like that from happening. If you plan to install a camera, make sure your in-home caregiver knows. When a caregiver is honest, they won’t usually mind being recorded, and it also protects them from false accusations.

Conclusion

You should feel guilty about wanting help to care for your older loved one. Sometimes, you’ll need a hand in dealing with daily tasks that often pile up as they get older. Trusting home care services to care for your loved one can be a lot emotionally, so by following these three golden tips, you’ll be able to put your mind at ease knowing your loved one is being taken care of properly.

Best Home Care Services in Atlanta

Golden Rule Hospice provides home care services to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. We believe that with psychological, spiritual, social, and nursing care services, we’ll develop a more peaceful life for our patients. Learn more about our services and call us at (470) 395-6567 today!