Need Help Caring for a Loved One?
Why a Home Care Agency is the Best Choice over a “Private Hire” or “Registry”
Caregiving is a demanding role. If you are faced with the challenge of finding outside help to provide care for your spouse, aging parent, or loved ones, you need to be aware of the different models of care and what they actually provide.
Among the options that you have are; “private hires” – or employing a family member, friend or referred individual,
“caregiver registry” – an organization that refers an individual to you for you to employ, or a “home care agency”- that provides a caregiver and remains the employer of that individual.
Employment Issues of Private Hires and Caregiver Registries Can Pose Significant Financial Risk
If you are considering either “private hires” or a “caregiver registry”, you should be aware that you become the employer of the caregiver, with all the responsibilities of an employer, and the caregiver becomes your employee. This means that you will be responsible for employment taxes, unemployment liability, worker’s compensation, bonding and insurance.
Neglecting any of these issues can pose a serious financial risk to you as an employer. For example, many individuals assume that their homeowner’s insurance would cover the expense of a caregiver injury, such as a back strain due to transferring a client from wheelchair to bed, only to find out after the fact that this is not the case in an employment situation. In this case, the caregiver can sue the family for damages. Similar risks exist when looking at unemployment and overtime issues
Hiring the Best Caregiver
In addition, if you are looking at a “private hire”, you are accepting the responsibility of screening that individual for their skills and knowledge, and conducting a background check. Families normally are often inexperienced in hiring and evaluating a potential caregiver. This results in minimal screening and skill validation of a privately hired caregivers, and often only one individual considered for the caregiving position.
Only by hiring an agency can you eliminate the risk associated with caregiver employment. Your home care agency becomes the employer of the caregiver and is responsible for payroll and withholding taxes, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, screening and background checks, caregiver supervision, bonding and insurance. The agency also has the benefit of selecting the best caregiver from a “pool” of screened and trained individuals, ensuring the best “fit” for your situation.
Beyond Employment Issues…Home Care Agencies Provide Added Value
Even the most dedicated caregiver can become ill or have car problems. By choosing a home care agency you will have peace of mind that you will never be stranded without backup care. Your agency will also provide ongoing supervision to ensure your caregiver consistently provides kind, considerate and appropriate services and care. Choosing a agency to provide care also eliminates the uncomfortable employee/employer relationship when disputes regarding pay, time worked or other job related issues arise. This allows you to maintain a friendly atmosphere in your home by eliminating the employer relationship that is created when privately hiring a caregiver, or hiring through a caregiver registry.
Home Care Agency or Caregiver Registry?
Sometimes it is not easy to for individuals to discern whether a particular company they call is a Caregiver registry or home care agency. Here are few questions to use when screening potential agencies on the phone:
- Are your caregivers employed by your company?
- Are earnings reported to IRS by a W-2 or 1099 form?
- Do you do background checks, withhold taxes, and assure the workers are bonded and insured?
- Are your caregivers covered by worker’s compensation
- Who manages my caregiver, assures their qualifications are up to date, and manages the schedule?
- Who makes sure caregivers stay within their scope of training?
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