One of the questions that we often times get asked is the benefit of a senior care agency vs private caregiver to provide in-home care for your loved ones. While it may seem cheaper to go with a private caregiver, consider following points before deciding what you want to do.
Home Care Agency |
Independent Personal Attendant |
|
| Caregiver backup for emergencies | We are ready and able to fill the need with one phone call. | None. Home care backup is extra stress to your family. |
|---|---|---|
| Bonding, liability & workers comp. insurance | Our staff are bonded and insured, giving you peace of mind that if the caregiver hurt themselves in your home they would not sue your home owners insurance policy. | Usually none. It’s your responsibility to investigate any insurance held by these individuals. Private individuals can sue your home owners insurance policy if hurt on the job. |
| Quality control & supervision of home care staff | • All cases are carefully monitored and supervised by our supervisors and management team. • Random visits made regularly. • Family members kept informed on a regular basis. |
These individuals are completely independent and lack formal supervision. |
| Continuing caregiver training | We provide continual mandatory in-service caregiver training. | These individuals may or may not continue to build upon their knowledge and skills. |
| Payroll, taxes, and IRS | We assume responsibility. | You are responsible for reporting and remitting state, federal, and FICA taxes to the proper tax authorities. |
| Criminal background and reference checks | Our employees are carefully screened at the time of hire with several layers of thorough background checks. Approximately 90% of applicants do not meet our high standards. | It is your responsibility to check the background of the individual. |
| Flexibility of home care services | Your home care service requirements will rarely stay the same. If the skill level or amount of care that you require increases or decreases, we can accommodate your needs. | Skills are fixed to the particular individual, and you pay for the skills they can perform rather than the skills you need. |
| Experience | Our caregivers have been delivering quality home care to satisfied clients for an average of over seven years. | Variable. |
| General availability | We can provide home care services to you and your family 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. Your caregiver is available on weekends and holidays. | One person means limited days and hours. You are responsible for staffing a replacement for sudden sickness, time off, emergencies, and vacations. Employment transitions mean that you start all over again. |
Taking care of your loved ones is a long term decision and is often a stressful one. Make sure you consider all the above points before deciding between going with a senior care agency vs private caregiver. Contact us to discuss your senior care needs or if you have more questions
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