Understanding Senior Home Care Options: Private, Direct or National Franchise?

When your loved one needs in-home care, you’ll have many options to choose from. Direct hire, private home care, and national care franchises are all potential sources of in home care. But which one is right for your loved one? And what can you expect with each type of care? We’ll give you the inside scoop on the basics you need to know about each type of in home care for the elderly.

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Direct Hire Caregivers

When you choose to go with a direct hire caregiver, you will be the person overseeing the entire caregiving experience. This means that from screening and hiring a caregiver to taking care of the daily scheduling, you will be the one doing the work. In short, you are responsible for doing everything that a private home care company or national franchise would typically do for you.

Tasks you’ll assume with a direct hire caregiver:

• Assess your loved one’s care needs
• Decide what skills and experience an appropriate caregiver should have
• Review potential caregivers and conduct interviews
• Contact caregiver references and perform background checks
• Manage the caregiving schedule
• Provide coverage on days when the caregiver is not able to attend due to illness or scheduling conflicts
• Oversee the caregiver’s work and provide support as necessary
• Manage payroll

There are some major differences in working with a direct hire senior caregiver compared to working with a business or franchise. Independently employed caregivers don’t have an employer who is contributing toward taxes, so they may charge a more significant care fee. They also don’t have liability or workman’s comp insurance behind them.

When a direct hire caregiver may work for you:

Directly hiring a caregiver places a lot of responsibility upon your shoulders. This situation can work if you have a flexible schedule and the time necessary to manage the caregiver, but it can be challenging if you’re working a full-time job, have other family responsibilities, and don’t have a highly flexible schedule. If this is your first foray into home care, then it may be a bit simpler to go with a private home care business or a national franchise than to assume the extra duties that go along with direct hires.

Private Home Care

Private home care businesses take care of many of the administrative caregiver duties for you, while also providing a personalized experience for you and your loved one. Many people prefer private home care businesses because they offer a number of advantages.

Advantages of Hiring a Private Home Care Business

• Personalized care – You and your loved one aren’t just a number, and the caregivers and care managers know who you are.
• Caregiver background checks – Most private home care businesses perform background checks on the caregivers they hire, so you can trust who is coming into your home.
• Caregiver training and education – Private home care businesses provide their caregivers with training and education in care for the elderly to ensure they can provide your loved one with the best care possible.
• Introductions and care plan creation – At Cahoon Care, our care managers introduce our caregivers to your loved one and your home. We create a care plan to ensure that your loved one’s needs are met.
• Support – Cahoon Care’s care managers are always available to provide support, reassess your loved one’s care plan, and make sure that the caregiver has everything they need to provide top-quality care.
• Caregiver management – With Cahoon Care, you won’t have to worry about managing your loved one’s caregiver. We take care of that for you, ensuring that schedules are met and your loved one has help there when he or she needs.
• Responsiveness – Have questions? We’re here for you. You can easily get in touch with us and we promptly return messages.

Private home care businesses typically offer more customized care. You get the advantages of working with a business, but the personal touch of having a caregiver and a care manager who you know, and who know you and your loved one.

National Home Care Franchises

Your third option is to go with a national home care franchise. There are some major franchises in the home care industry, but they have a very different feel than a private home care business does.

What you may encounter with a national care franchise:

• Less familiarity – When you call a national care franchise, you’ll rarely speak to the same person twice. When you work with Cahoon Care, you’ll be talking with the same people each time you call, plus you’ll be assigned a care manager to help oversee your loved one’s care.
• Less personalized care – At Cahoon Care, we create a personalized care plan for each and every person we care for. Larger franchises are less likely to take this time, opting for a more blanketed approach to caregiving.
• Little to no caregiver introduction – Large care franchises sometimes send in caregivers without giving them much background information or even without an introduction to your loved one or to their home. This not only makes matters stressful for your loved one, but also makes it difficult for a caregiver to provide quality, effective care.
• Multiple caregivers/little consistency – Large franchises employ many caregivers, and your loved one may be visited by different caregivers over the course of a week or month. At Cahoon Care, we avoid this “revolving door policy” and make every effort to pair your loved one with a caregiver who is a great match. This allows them to form a meaningful relationship which improves their quality of care.

National home care franchises are widely available and offer competitive rates. However, it’s important to consider the quality of care and the overall experience that you and your love one will receive before choosing to go with a national home care franchise.

The Right Home Care Option for You and Your Loved One

If you are exploring the idea of home care for your parent or loved one, let us help. Contact us today and we will be pleased to discuss the options available for your loved one and what we can do to ensure that his or her specific needs are met.

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