Finding the Best In-home Care For Your Loved One: Questions to Ask Potential Candidates

Choosing an in-home care provider for your loved one is one of the most important things you’ll ever do. You want to make sure you’re picking the right person for the job– someone you feel confident will provide your loved one with top-notch care. With this in mind, you’ll want to be thoroughly prepared before interviewing any potential caregiver candidates. Below we will list some questions you should consider asking when interviewing an in home care provider:

Why are you interested in this caregiving position? Open-ended questions like this one allow the candidate to give more information than a simple yes or no question. Of course, you’re hoping to hear that the candidate enjoys working with the elderly, or likes being in a nurturing role.

Do you have any caregiving experience? Ideally, the candidate will have previous in-home caregiving experience working with the elderly. However, you might also want to consider candidates who have other types of caregiving experience, such as nurses or nannies. You’ll want the candidate to demonstrate that he or she has previous experience in a nurturing role, if not a direct caregiving role.

Are you comfortable handling my loved one’s mental/emotional state? Of course, this isn’t relevant in every situation, but it’s important to ask up front if your loved one is suffering from dementia, depression, anxiety, or even just moodiness. Being up front about your loved one’s state of mind will help ensure that the caregiver you hire is comfortable handling tough situations.

I’ll be running background checks on all strong candidates. Is there anything I should know before running the check? You want candidates to know in advance that you’ll be running a background check. Invite them to disclose and explain any charges on their record prior to running the check.

What types of training or certifications do you have? It’s important to know if candidates have any caregivingcertifications. Consider asking specifically about CPR and first aid training.

Do you have any other jobs or responsibilities that might interfere with the designated working hours? You want to ensure that the candidate you hire is reliable and will always be there during working hours. Additionally, you might consider asking if the candidate is available to stay later occasionally, if you’re delayed in getting home.

Do you have a driver’s license and clean driving record? Chances are, an in home caregiver will need to drive your loved one to appointments from time to time. You want to be sure that the person you hire is a safe driver.

For additional information about interviewing an in home care provider, please contact us.