December 03, 2018
Fear is a Terrible Marketing Method
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like people/companies who market products and services to others by using fear. I'm very purposeful in how I write about home-care. There are so many fantastic benefits. I don't feel it is necessary and I don't feel it is kind. Instead, I like to focus on the positive aspects, the independence it preserves and it's ability to allow seniors to remain in the home they love.
What prompted this blog was a news story I read in Naples by Wink News. It dances on the line between fear and awareness. However, I feel like this something that needs to be talked about. Not because people need to be fearful about the prospect of welcoming a caregiver into their home, but because when you are in the process of evaluating care providers it's imperative that you pause and ask yourself a simple question...where is this caregiver's accountability. Who are they accountable to?
The gist of the article (which you can read here if you care to) was that a person hired a private caregiver from a social media site. This person was offered a room in the woman's home in exchange for their help around the house. The woman was 72. The man, 37. The woman's intention was good, the exchange seemed fair, the caregiver may or may not have gone through an FBI background check/fingerprinting. Regardless, the arrangement turned sour in a bad way. At the end of the article Clark Pollard from the Caregiver Support Network says that the best way to hire a caregiver of any kind is to go through an agency - don't go through something private. The reason an agency is a better solution? Accountability.
Why is it Vital to Have an Accountable Home-Care Agency?
Whether it be an registry or independent contractor, many home care providers tout that the caregivers they place are FBI background screened, fingerprinted, bonded and insured (sometimes). But generally, once the caregiver is placed, it ends there. Once that initial vetting occurs, and the caregiver is placed, who is the caregiver accountable to? Who makes sure they're training is up-to-date, provide random drug screens and double checks the quality of care they are providing to the clients they serve? Above all, who is making sure that caregiver is remaining professional and not taking advantage of their situation.
Our CAREGivers are accountable to us. Unlike the gentleman mentioned in the news story, our CAREGivers are our employees. We vet, train and check in with them regularly. We know them well as we communicate with them on a very regular basis. We host in-office events and monthly inservice trainings to build relationships with them and offer them opportunities for personal development, so our CAREGivers are always learning and always engaging with us.
We deploy a quality assurance team who visits with clients each month, predominantly in their home, to make sure that everything is going ok, needs are being met and everyone is happy. We have a phone number you can call 24/7 if you have any issues and our agency is responsible to handle all situations, not the client. Our admin staff know our CAREGivers well and not only guarantee the CAREGiver/client match, but are quick to replace a CAREGiver should a change be desired by the client or CAREGiver. Successful care come from successful matches. As a licensed HHA agency, we are highly regulated by the state of Florida as well as by the Home Instead Corporate office in Omaha, NE, so even our admin staff has accountability requirements to meet.
Accountability lessens the potential for wrongdoing and also provides our CAREGivers with the backing they deserve to deliver care at the highest level.
It's All About Checks and Balances
In our opinion, the agency model for home-care is the best way. While Home Instead places a strong focus on relationship-based, human-centered care and our CAREGivers truly do become like family, checks and balances means that we can ensure our CAREGivers remain professional at all times. They know what our expectation is of them and what they can expect from us. As an agency we provide support to both client and CAREGiver, which creates a great situation for everyone. By having an administrative staff that oversees the execution of care we provide the layer of accountability that private caregivers just don't have. So the extra dollar or two rate difference you may see between us and a private caregiver is used for accountability, oversight, ongoing training, and quality assurance. We think that makes a big difference.
