Why Should You Hire a Carer Through an Agency?
Do you need to hire a carer for elderly relatives or parents? Are you thinking about hiring a carer for elderly relatives or parents, but don’t know where to look? Find out the main advantages of partnering with an employment agency that mediates the search for a carer for seniors and the dangers of searching on your own. Also discover how you can identify a quality agency. We have a lot of information, so without further ado, let’s get started!
Live-in care agency for the elderly – what is it?
A live-in care agency is a company that mediates between a client, in this case, you or your relative, and a worker that is a qualified and experienced help for the elderly living at home. The clients notify the live-in care agency of their preferences for a carer and specify the basic requirements, working conditions, responsibilities towards the client, budget and all the basic information about it.
The employee, on the other hand, is the carer themselves who applies to the agency. They participate in the recruitment process for a particular job offer. Each elderly care agency has its database of seniors waiting for care. The agency’s role is to legally employ the carer for an elderly parent, to check experience and verify references, and to provide any assistance before and during the job.
Advantages of employing a live-in care agency
Below you will find the most important arguments in favour of legally employing a carer for elderly parents via a reliable live-in care agency.
Background check
By choosing an agency, you can be sure that the person is really who they say they are. Typically, live-in care agencies perform background checks and verify caregivers’ certifications and experience. Agencies require criminal records and work certificates, check qualifications and references and compare these with what you would expect. Therefore, you can be sure that you will be the right person for the job.
Regular training
Every responsible and reliable live-in care agency offers its employees training before and during their work. Reputable agencies require caregivers to attend periodic training on a variety of subjects and skills, so you can be sure of high qualifications when hiring help for the elderly living at home. Working as a carer for the elderly may seem simple on the surface but it requires a lot of knowledge and skills, so it is worth having a carer for the elderly parent.
Legal employment and assistance with formalities
A reliable live-in care agency will help you with all employment and tax formalities and provide a clear fee schedule. When you employ a carer for an elderly parent through a live-in care agency, you can breathe a sigh of relief about both the safety of your senior as well as any accounting and tax issues.
Alternatives
A live-in care agency not only helps you with finding the right person, defining the roles of a carer and tax issues, but will also provide you with a backup in case your current carer becomes ill, or you are dissatisfied with the services of your current carer. This way, you do not run the risk of your loved one being left without care in the event of inadequate service or an accident that renders the carer incapacitated.
Risks of hiring an individual carer for elderly parents
Below you will find the most important risks of hiring an unproven carer for elderly parents that you need to know before you start looking for a carer on your own.
Rick of hiring an unproven and unqualified person
By forgoing a proven live-in care agency in favour of your search, you run the risk that the person will not have enough experience and knowledge. On your own, you won’t be able to carry out as thorough and reliable a background check or check references from previous employers. Therefore, this is not the ideal option unless you have a gambler’s streak in you.
Unclear terms of employment and taxation
When hiring a carer for elderly parents on your own, you have to be very careful when creating a contract, provided you sign one. You need to know what the roles of a carer are, what type of insurance to choose and what type of contract to sign. Drawing up your contract can be difficult and may require you to consult with the tax authorities and a lawyer but you are legally liable for employing someone illegally and have no protection against possible improper acts by the carer.
No replacement in case of illness or resignation of the carer
If you directly employ a person then you never have a replacement for them. You, therefore, run the risk that if the carer for an elderly parent wants to go on holiday, takes time off, becomes ill or resigns, your loved one will be left without help, which is definitely not ideal.
How do you identify a competent live-in care agency?
A reliable agency always proposes several candidates and provides full documentation on them. It provides background checks, makes work certificates and references available and selects the best person for the job, taking into account the inclinations and experience of the professional concerned.
You will recognise the best live-in care agency by the fact that they offer you comprehensive documentation, a care plan and transparent financial conditions. That is why you can immediately decline to work with one that does not provide you with these. It is also a good idea to check cooperation reviews published by clients. Good luck!
