Finding a Personal Care Aide
Personal Care > Finding a Personal Care Aide
In this high-tech postmodern culture of ours, we have the best opportunities, the finest options, and the greatest access to the stellar treatment from a personal care aide. At the same time, we need to find a personal care aide who is qualified, capable, and amenable to
With the help of home and personal care aide service owners like Clare Absher, RN, BSN, a compiled list of suggestions are listed here to help you find
First, consider your primary needs and concerns. Do you want a personal care aide who is independently offering services, one whom you will employ yourself, or would you prefer a licensed service to provide you with an aide, so you need not do such an in-depth training? Either way, the personal care aide should match your financial capabilities, the particular level of needs you (or your loved one) have (or has), and your preferences.
You will likely need, for instance, a personal care aide who speaks, reads, and writes the same language. You might need—as many do—someone with previous experience in home care for seniors and/or disabled people. You will, then, also consider whether you want to choose an aide who can assist with
* transportation to shopping and medical and other appointments, and/or
* outside activities--someone who will be a companion, a social escort, and/or
* medical needs--a nurse or certified practitioner.
Such considerations will define the difference among the personal care aide who comes in a few hours a day to help with immediate and primary needs, a personal care aide who administers shots and sees to all of your daily, day-long activity needs, one who is more of a social support, or one who is primarily household worker.
But as Nurse Absher recommends, don’t worry about the different types of personal care aides. Instead, you could make a list of daily requirements you have or your elder has, tasks the person will need to do, and then you can find the aide who matches. (According to Absher, this list will become a job description/contract you and the aide care giver will stick to once you choose and hire your caregiver.)
So how do you find the personal care aide to match the list? A personally recommended care giver is most reliable. I have a number of friends who are seniors who employ personal care aides. They found them through friends they dine with as regulars at the local coffee shop. In fact, the coffee shop owners best friend, who is a regular also, is a personal care aide. See how nicely that works out.
But if you can’t find a personal care aide through friends like this—if you ’t or are unable to go out every day, ask someone who does:
• Ask fellow church members, friends, and family members if they know someone, or if they personally know a medical professional who does. Because my best friend is a clinical nurse specialist in the field of senior care, I will be able to get a top recommended aide, but anyone who has connections to or lives in a personal care assisted living
• Call your local community centers, community colleges, and senior centers. Ask the on-site nurses or teachers with nursing credentials
• Contact Area on Aging agencies, trusted local employment boards, and even local online job boards. When I am perusing craigslist.com, for instance (which is a community poster service for the 50 states and many cities in other countries), I often see personalized postings calling for a care giver, as well as postings by those seeking work. These people of course would require references whom you would contact for referrals. And be sure to follow up on every reference before having a stranger set foot in the
Ms. Absher also recommends the possibility of a joint care-giving situation, where a friend shares a personal care aide with another friend—especially if the two seniors in need of care only each need an aide for a couple of hours a day. And if you get stuck, you can even consult agencies specifically catering to providing personal caregivers. Check the CarePathways.com classifieds board, for instance. Though I have no personal stake in Nurse Absher’s services—I have never met or spoken with her—I find her advice valuable and her services even more so. Of course, you will check out her references. Just kidding.