Caregivers agency helps seniors and other people with caregiving needs to remain living at home for as long as possible. They provide non-medical services including companionship, bathing, grooming, meal preparation, medication assistance, transportation and housekeeping. A private caregiver agency business may also include services such as a nurse visit, a trained in-home aide or a specialized service such as respite, hospice and Alzheimer’s care. The caregivers agency industry is growing fast due to aging baby boomers who require long-term caregiving services at home as they near retirement.
The agency’s client roster can include a single individual or a group of family members who need care for an older relative. Allied Caregivers of Bedford, New Hampshire, provides a full range of non-medical home health services. Their caregiving services include dementia care, respite care, elder companionship and homemaking. They also offer a full range of home healthcare aide services, such as bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting. They can help with transferring, operating a patient lift and administering medications. They can help with grocery shopping, meal preparation and transportation to doctors’ appointments, hair salons, theaters, churches and social engagements. The agency can even manage a revolving petty cash account for things like groceries and pharmacy bills.
In-home caregiving agencies are licensed, insured and bonded. Agencies screen caregivers before sending them to a client. They will typically ask about prior experience and provide a detailed job description for the caregiver. This helps families feel confident that their loved one will be in good hands. Agencies also handle the payroll, insurance, taxes and worker’s compensation for their employees. In contrast, a direct hire caregiver will not be covered under these benefits.
A caregiver agency’s care coordinator or manager does the scheduling and maintains daily contact with the caregivers on assignment. This allows the coordinator to be each caregiver’s “first responder” in case of an issue. The coordinators are also responsible for mentoring and coaching. They can help the caregivers with specialized skills and training, and they may even be able to provide training for the in-charge family member.
Families who choose not to go with an agency will need to spend more time interviewing, vetting and screening caregivers. They will also need to pay for background checks, references, interviews and a thorough vetting process. In addition, they will need to find out if their caregiver is bonded and insured and to cover their own liability insurance and worker’s compensation.