When you’ve come to the decision that your elderly loved one needs a caregiver, the next step is choosing someone to fill this role. Many families are unsure of where to go to find a qualified, trustworthy and compassionate caregiver, so they begin asking people they know or browsing one of the many websites that provide a list of independent caregivers. What many people don’t realize is that there are liabilities to hiring a caregiver on their own.
If you’re considering home care for your loved one, think about these reasons for choosing a registry rather than an independent caregiver.
Quality Issues
Some caregivers who can’t pass the screening process of agencies or registries choose to seek work privately. They may have a criminal history that prevents them from passing background screening by a registry. Or, they may have poor work history and cannot pass thorough work history checks. In other cases, they may not have an updated license, or may have a complaint against their license. Additionally, many times they may not have current medical screening or current CPR, First Aid and ongoing educations units. Utilizing a registry assures that the caregiver does not have these problematic issues.
Tax Consequences
If you hire a caregiver privately, the IRS will deem you to be their employer. You will need to get an Employer Identification Number and withhold taxes from your caregiver’s pay. Additionally, you will need to pay the employer’s share of social security and medicare tax and pay for unemployment insurance.
If you terminate your caregiver or her services are no longer needed, the caregiver can then file an unemployment claim against you as her employer. Terminating your caregiver for poor performance, or even outright bad performance, does not mean you are off the hook for paying their unemployment claim.
Scheduling Conflicts
An advantage to choosing a home care registry is that there is support available at all times. If a caregiver is sick or out of town, there is another qualified person who can be referred to your home and care for your loved one. A caregiver that you hire on your own will likely need time off and there may be no one to replace them. If your loved one needs consistent care, you’ll have to make alternative arrangements if your caregiver can’t make it – and this can happen at a moment’s notice all too often.
Interview Process
We know that you have a lot on your plate, and you probably don’t want to spend your time interviewing potential candidates. This takes time away from your job, kids and loved one. Plus, you have to arrange for meetings, create a list of questions and open up your home for interviews. By selecting a registry, you get the peace of mind knowing that all caregivers are screened and interviewed before they ever set foot in your home.
Hiring a caregiver doesn’t have to be the long, tedious and risky process that you think it is. When you choose a well-regarded registry like Family Private Care, you will get a qualified, experienced and screened caregiver that will care for your loved one just like family!