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Home health care, also known as home health care, provides a caregiver who works in your home and assists with activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and household chores. Some home care workers accept clients living in assisted living or skilled nursing homes, and in those cases they work with their clients in the facility rather than in the client’s home.
There are three basic ways to hire a professional caregiver. First, you need to decide whether to hire a private caretaker or go through an agency. There are two types of home care agencies: referring and full-service. This article covers the differences between all three options.
Full service agencies
Full-service home care agencies take care of the most important aspects of hiring a care provider for you. It is in the interest of these agencies to ensure that their healthcare providers are experienced, skilled and a good fit for you, the client. Services normally include:
* Pre-screening employees for a criminal background
* Checking multiple references
* Providing employee insurance
* Maintaining professional liability insurance or suretyship
* Coverage of all payroll taxes
* Providing a caretaker when a hired person will be absent
* Replacement of a caregiver who is not a good fit
* Supervising caregivers
Before you start your search, read the important questions to ask before signing a contract with an agency.
Referral Agencies
Referral agencies provide some initial screening and selection services, but once you hire a referral agency caretaker, your relationship with the agency ends. Referral agencies do not supervise healthcare providers. Referral agency services typically include:
* Pre-screening employees for a criminal background
* Checking multiple references
Your responsibilities, after finding a caregiver through a referral agency, include:
*Pay the caretaker directly and cover any related taxes
* Insuring the caretaker and/or your personal items (Contact a local insurance agent to find out what protection an existing homeowner’s policy provides. Ask for information on unfair bonds and workers’ compensation.)
* Accompanying the caregiver
* Finding a substitute caregiver if needed
Private healthcare providers
Private healthcare providers are often hired by word of mouth. To get started, read tips on how to find, background check, and interview a private caregiver, view a downloadable Caregiver Employment Sheet, and learn how to avoid fraud and abuse by home care workers.
Taxes and private healthcare providers
Private healthcare providers can work as independent contractors or as your employee. Tax laws change annually; however, in 2006, any internal employee who earned less than $1,500 for the year is considered a contractor. So, a caregiver in this situation would be using the IRS’s 1099 form, which means they’ll be responsible for their own taxes at the end of the year. There is one exception: home care workers who act as their own business with, for example, business cards, clients or a business license; even if he or she earned more than $1,500, a person would be considered a contractor in this scenario. All other employees are considered your employees and you are responsible for withholding the correct amount of taxes from each paycheck. There is also a fixed amount for transportation costs ($105/month in 2006) and living expenses, which are not included in the annual sum.
Home care – The differences between full-service agencies, private rental and referral agencies
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