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Adult home care: independent
contractors vs. home care companies
By Coker Day
It's not
unusual for family members to provide some or all of the non-medical home care
needs of an elderly parent today. In fact, according to one recent survey, more
than half of all caregivers are family members, usually daughters taking care
of their mothers.
However, if they don't already have outside
professional help, many family caregivers expect to secure some kind of full-
or part-time assistance in the near future. Because, according to this same
survey, as many as 80 percent of these family caregivers are juggling full-time
jobs, in addition to their care giving responsibilities.
Once the
decision is made that the elderly parent will remain at home, the issue for
many of their children inevitably becomes, What kind of help is best suited to
my parent's needs: an individual private duty caregiver or a home care services
company?
But the issue becomes even more complex, when you consider
you're going to allow a complete stranger into your home - or that of your
loved one - to perform some of the most personal services imaginable (bathing,
dressing, etc.), often without direct supervision.
The ultimate
solution depends greatly on the nature and scope of care you or your parent
needs. But it also depends on how much responsibility you are willing take on
when it comes to the hiring (and potential firing) of an individual private
caregiver.
For one thing, that caregiver may be viewed by the Internal
Revenue Service as your employee, which can have significant financial
implications, as outlined below. For another, engaging the services of home
care providers requires recruiting people who are not just qualified from a
care giving standpoint, but people who can be trusted to be there every day for
the contracted time, trusted not to steal anything and trusted to be
compassionate - issues of particular importance for relatives who may not live
in the same town with their parents.
And finally, there's the issue of
compatibility: you have to find someone who will get along with you or your
parent on a very intimate level.
Individual Private Caregiver
If you decide to engage the services of an independent or private duty
caregiver, you may pay less on an hourly basis, won't have to agree to a
minimum number of visits or hours per day, or even sign a formal agreement. But
consider these facts:
 You'll have to do a job search, just
as any hiring manager would.
You'll probably be responsible for paying all payroll taxes (federal
income tax withholding, social security, Medicare, state income tax
withholding)
Private caregivers typically do not carry personal
liability insurance to protect against damage in the household. Likewise, they
may not be bonded against theft of valuables.
Individuals often do not have workers compensation or disability
insurance to cover on-the-job injuries. They typically do not have anyone to
fill in if they are sick or otherwise can't make it to work on short notice,
leaving you in a bind.
You become the sole supervisor, responsible for the individual's job
performance and any problems that arise on the job. If the person doesn't work
out for any reason, you'll have to terminate employment and begin the process
of finding someone else to match the needs of your loved one - no easy task.
Because most caregivers are family members, those receiving care most
often form emotional attachments with them (as opposed to outsiders), making it
difficult to sever those ties should anything go wrong, or the family simply
wish to make a change. On the other hand, the newspapers periodically recount
stories of relatives bilking the elderly out of thousands while ostensibly in
their care.
Home Care Services Company
On the other hand,
utilizing a home care services company may cost a little more initially,
require a minimum number of hours or days and a contract, but it can alleviate
much of the risk and burdens described above. For example:
An adult home care company knows what kind of people to recruit, the
level of training they should have (sometimes providing the training) and how
much to pay them.
A home care company has the resources to do thorough
background checks before hiring people who will be allowed into the privacy of
your home or that of your parents.
A home care company pays all taxes and insurance premiums, including
those for liability and workers compensation, and fully bonds its
employees.
A home care company is responsible for
supervising its caregivers, monitoring their performance, keeping their
training up-to-date and making sure clients and their families are satisfied
with the quality of service provided.
With a full staff of
caregivers available, you never have to worry if yours calls in sick; there
will always be someone to fill in.
And, if for any reason, your
caregiver doesn't work out, you may be able to ask for another one better
suited to your needs.
Reputable adult home care services companies
recruit and train individuals who are compassionate about what they do and
provide the kind of care they would their own family members. More than a third
of the family caregivers in the survey mentioned earlier felt that caring for a
loved one was affecting their (other) job performance negatively. With so many
time pressures on today's families, it certainly makes sense to find a company
that can provide the kind of care they provide, if possible, even better.
Coker Day is founder and president of DayBreak Adult Care Services
Inc., an in-home care services company serving the Midlands and Lowcountry with
offices in Lexington and Charleston, S.C. |
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