10 Tips for Choosing the Right Home Health Aide

Finding the right home health aide is a big decision. You want to make sure that your loved one is as comfortable as possible. You also want to make sure that they are properly taken care of. While no aide is perfect, there are ways to weed out candidates that won’t work for your loved one. Consider these ten tips to find the right home health aide for your loved one.

Independent Aide vs. Care Agency

One of the first steps in finding the right aide is determining if you will hire an independent aide or a certified aide. See our website for more information on these types of aides.

Your Loved One’s Needs

You should sit down with your family to get a sense of your loved one’s needs. Even if you think you know your loved one’s needs, you might not. You should have an honest conversation with them about the care needed.

Qualifications

Some home health aides might be very inexpensive, but this isn’t always necessarily a good thing. Some home health aides will reduce their prices if they don’t have formal training or a lot of experience. Make sure to ask about an aide’s qualifications.

Reviews

Former clients might have testimonials of the home health aide you are considering. This can be helpful when finding an aide that works well with patients. Of course an aide will seem great when you interview them, but reviews from real clients will give you a better understanding of what they are really like.

Interviews

Even if you hire a home health care agency to help you choose an aide, you probably want to conduct your own interview. Ask your own questions to make sure that you are happy with the aide.

Background Information

A good home health aide will have a lot of experience and certification. Ask about what the aide’s major was in school and about prior jobs.

Aide’s Workload

You want to make sure that your home health aide is not overworked. Make sure the aide doesn’t have too many other patients so that they can give your loved one the attention needed.

Chemistry

Get the aide together with your loved one. See how your loved one and the home health aide interact. Ask your loved one if they like the aide. Making sure that these two get along will be important if they are going to work together every day.

Contracts

If you want to hire a particular aide, they might have a contract. Be sure to go through the contract with an attorney before you hire the aide.

Stay Vigilant

Be sure to check in with the aide and your loved one to make sure that everything is going smoothly. Your loved one and the aide should be happy with the experience. If they aren’t, it might be time for a change.