Although you and your parent may have made a pact years ago that he or she would never be dependent on you, life does not come with guarantees. Occasionally as the adult child you need to make decisions for your mom or dad, and sometimes that includes obtaining care for seniors you love. You know that your parent does not want to move to a care facility and that living in the family home is the best solution, both financially and emotionally. However, your loved one may be at a stage that they need assistance more regularly. At this point, you may want to start thinking about hiring an in home care provider.

Initially, you may think the process is cut and dry. Agencies advertise care for seniors  like your mom or dad every day. Families often use these companies since they do the background checks on the caregivers and handle the payroll and scheduling for all caregivers. However, for some this hiring process seems a bit too impersonal and for others, the connection for mom or dad may not be appropriate. What is important to remember when hiring a provider of care for seniors, is that if the fit is not right, you can request a different caregiver. It is also important that the family member stays involved to ensure that the services required are met for their parent.

If you choose to hire direct and not through an agency, choosing the right care for seniors in your life may be a bit more challenging. Some of the obstacles you may run into include checking and confirming immigration status as legal workers, payroll, workers compensation and other employer-related tasks. If your choice is to have a licensed or certified caregiver, verifying credentials will be difficult as well. Agencies have the connections to confirm these details and make the process smoother. These details often account for the difference in cost between a direct hire and a company hire.