Home / Healthcare Options / How to Find a Caregiver for Yourself or an Elderly Loved One

How to Find a Caregiver for Yourself or an Elderly Loved One

By: Serena Tanner • Edited by: Alyssa Hill • Subject Matter Expert Reviewed by: Brindusa Vanta, MD • 3 cited sources • Updated Oct 14, 2024

As people age, it’s natural to require extra help, but some need more than others. Some seniors eventually need assistance with their daily activities. Choosing a caregiver can be emotionally challenging as you search for someone you can trust to work with for your own needs, or those of a loved one.

Key Takeaways

• The right caregiver for you depends on your unique needs.
• A rigorous interview and screening process can help you choose the right caregiver.
• Make sure you have an ironclad contract between you and the caregiver to ensure all parties are protected.

Understanding Your or Your Loved One’s Needs

Every senior’s needs are different, so a caregiver who works for one person may not suit another. Finding a caregiver starts with a thorough understanding of what kind of care is required. These questions can help:

• Can you or your loved one handle daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, or toileting?
• Can you or your loved one drive to and from appointments without assistance?
• Can you or your loved one keep up with daily chores and household maintenance?
• Do you or your loved one have a preference for the gender of the caregiver?
• Do you or your loved one need reminders to take medication or have trouble moving around?
• Do you or your loved one have trouble remembering appointments or feel confused at times?

If you’re not sure about your loved one’s needs when searching for a suitable caregiver, seek professional help. Healthcare professionals who evaluate activities of daily living (ADLs) and caregiver needs include primary care physicians, nurses, social workers, and occupational and physical therapists.

Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD

Things to Look For in a Senior Caregiver

Elderly individuals often have specialized needs, and it’s vital to find a caregiver who’s qualified to provide what’s needed. When researching candidates, keep these aspects in mind:

Experience, Licenses, and Qualifications

Always inquire about experience, licenses, and qualifications. Their professional background, certifications, and training related to senior care can help you determine whether they have the experience to meet your loved one’s needs. 

Someone who needs help with food and basic daily tasks like dressing or bathing likely doesn’t need a caregiver with extensive medication management or skilled nursing experience.

References from Previous Employers or Families

It’s never enough to take a caregiver’s listed experience at face value. Speaking to previous clients can give you a more accurate assessment of their suitability. Request several references and question them to get an accurate picture^[1]. These may include questions such as:

• When and how long did the caregiver work for you?
• What kind of duties did they perform?
• Why did they leave the position?
• Are there any concerns about the care received?
• How did they handle difficult situations?
• Were they trustworthy?
• If you needed a caregiver again, would you rehire them?

Beyond reviewing references, always conduct a thorough background check to ensure trustworthiness and integrity. Verifying that a potential caregiver is trustworthy, skilled, and suitable for your needs can mean a huge difference in the quality of the care you or a loved one receives.

Strong Communication Skills

Good caregivers need excellent communication skills to coordinate between you and your senior loved one. Building effective rapport takes time, but you can often see signs of how well a caregiver communicates early on. Gently assess their communication skills and see how they respond to the things you need and want. Look for compassion, respect, and an openness to feedback.

Empathy, Compassion, and Patience

Caregivers also need a certain degree of empathy and patience to assist seniors with physical and cognitive decline. Speak to previous clients to determine if the caregiver you’re considering was empathetic. Consider asking them hypothetical questions about how they would care for and respond to your loved one in specific circumstances. Likewise, pay attention to how the caregiver acts with your loved one during the interview. Reaching a point in your life where you need care is often an emotionally difficult time, and a caregiver needs to be able to respond to that effectively. 

Determining Budget and the Best In-Home Care Options

Several factors contribute to the cost of in-home care. Services affect the overall cost, and they can include bathing and grooming, medication management, transportation, pet care, and much more. The cost can also vary based on whether you choose an agency or independent caregiver^[2]. Make a choice based on your budget and care requirements. In-home care options include:

• Home health aides: Home health aides assist with general personal care and support in someone’s home, such as bathing, dressing, and light housekeeping.
• Medical caregivers: Medical caregivers, including registered nurses and therapists, provide medical care such as medication administration, IV therapy, and wound management.
• Certified nursing assistants (CNAs): These nursing assistants help with activities of daily living, such as bathing.

Choosing Between Agencies and Independent Caregivers

Agencies are typically more expensive but have strict requirements for licensing and training. Plus, if your usual caregiver is ever ill or you’re unhappy with the care you’re receiving, you can request a different caregiver from the same agency. 

Hiring an independent caregiver may save some money, but you won’t have the same degree of security backing up the care. You’ll have to perform background checks and find coverage if your caregiver gets sick^[3]. However, with independent caregivers, you have a lot more control over who is personally caring for you or your loved one. 

Both options have their positives, but you should weigh each one carefully and choose the one that best suits your needs. 

Interviewing Agencies and Independent In-Home Caregivers

When interviewing potential caregivers, you’ll need to evaluate them based on their qualifications, experience, and compatibility with the senior who needs care. Try asking questions like these during the interviews:

• What makes you a good fit for the job?
• Why did you choose to be a caregiver?
• What’s your favorite part of working with seniors? What’s your least favorite part?
• What personal values are most important to you?
• What’s your biggest weakness as a caregiver? How do you compensate for it?

The right choice for you depends on finding qualities that align with your family’s preferences and values.

Hiring the Right Caregiver for You or Your Loved One

Once you’ve chosen the right caregiver, it’s hiring time. At this stage, it’s important to create clear expectations in a written contract. It should include:

• Caregiver duties
• Compensation
• Termination policies
• Time off from work

The contract helps create a mutually beneficial, professional relationship between you and the caregiver. The best contracts protect all people involved.

Hiring the right caregiver for a loved one has many benefits. Caregivers offer companionship, support independence, boost your loved one’s dignity and self-confidence, assist family caregivers, and provide reassurance and peace of mind to both the senior and the family.

Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD

The Perfect Caregiver Is Out There

Finding the right caregiver for you or a loved one can be daunting, but you’re not alone in your efforts. However, it’s important to do so correctly the first time. After all, you’re trusting the care of someone you love with another person outside of your family. Even if the first or second caregiver you interview doesn’t quite align with your needs, the right one is out there. You just have to find them.

Written by Serena Tanner

Serena Tanner attended the University of Washington, where she earned a degree in philosophy after many detours delving into human rights, law, psychology, and social work. Health and holistic wellness topics continue to hold a special place in her heart. When she's not reading or writing, she can be found exploring the Pacific Northwest with her two children and dogs.

---

Edited by Alyssa Hill

Alyssa Hill is an experienced editor and health writer. She holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of Arizona and is also a certified somatic practitioner. A former content manager for multiple start-ups in the marketing and health/medical industries, Alyssa has extensive experience writing medically accurate and well-researched content, editing articles for clarity and SEO, adhering to strict guidelines, and ensuring all content is up to standards.

---

Subject Matter Expert Brindusa Vanta, MD

Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a healthcare professional, researcher, and medical subject matter expert . She earned her MD degree from "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine, Romania. She has a special interest in mental health and has collaborated with psychologists and other mental health practitioners on various research projects focused on therapies to manage depression, age-related cognitive decline, trauma and stressor- related conditions.