'4Gimericans Choosing The Right Caregiver Your Parents (NAPSA)—According to Pew Research, every day, 10,000 Americans turn 65 years old. Andthat will continueforthe next 12 years, reaching 18 percentof the popula- tion by 2030. Americans 85 andolderwill triple in population by 2050. With a rapidly aging population liv- ing longer than past generations, care- givers are in high demand. A cost ofcare study by Genworth forecasts that there will be a shortage of more than 3 million homecare aides in the next decade. To meet this demand,over the years there has been an explosion of home care franchises and independent home care agenciesacrossthe country. Yet, as many Getting answers to howto care for an agingloved oneinvolvesasking such as bathing, groomingandhygiene. families discover, finding theright care- Askif the caregivers are tested on sce- can be a challenge. tests are conductedto check for temperamentunderstress or condition-related situations, such as “sundowning”” giverto meetyour family’s specific needs One innovator looking to solve the caregiver gap is a San Francisco- based company focused on modernizing and improving homecare for older adults. By professionalizing its care- giver workforce and developing tech- nology to improveefficiencies,it’s able to deliver more consistent andreliable care. Through its Honor Care Network, the company partners with home care agenciesin multiple states, making quality care more accessible to morefamilies. Called Honor,the firm suggests five things that families should consider whenhiring a caregiver to ensure a safe and optimal care experience for their parentsor loved ones: Important Questions to Ask Your HomeCare Agency 1. How do you screen your care- givers for safety? A responsible, credible home care agency in California always conducts a thorough screening and backgroundcheckofits caregivers before sending them into a client’ home. In addition to Home Care Aide (HCA) mandatedcertification and Department of Justice fingerprinting and background checks, the best home care agencies go further by screening for DMVdriving records, drug test- ing, and abidingby strict minimum-age requirements. 2.How do you train your caregiv- ers and verify their skills? Caregiv- ers should have a solid foundation of training, such as how to use mechani- callifting equipment, basic knowledge of how to support clients living with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson's disease, and howto assist with daily living activities nario-based skills andifanypersonality 3. Whatis your performance record for on-time arrivals and no-shows? How promptly do you communicate schedule changesto your clients? Ask the agency how it manageslate arrivals and last-minute cancellations by caregivers. Doesit guarantee a replacement? How doesit communicate with clients and how often? Whatis its policy if there's an ongoingtardinessissue? 4. How do you manage caregiver performance? Ask how the agency motivates caregivers to provide the best care andclient experience. Doesit value and knowits caregivers’ track record and doesit continually train caregivers to ensureit has the best talent? Assessing personality and chemistry with clients is also important. 5.How do your caregivers com- municate with each other abouta cli- ent’s condition during shift changes? Your parentwill likely have more than onecaregiverto staff weekly schedules. ‘Ask the agency how each caregiveris notified of a client’s daily condition, howthat information is communicated to other assigned caregivers to ensure seamless care, and how families are notified, how often and when. Finding the right caregiver can be Jess stressfulif you knowthe right questionsto ask. Initiating a conversation at the start about what’s most important to youin finding the right caregiver can makeall the difference. Learn More furtherfactsandtips, go to www. joinhonor.com. [Note to Editors:Although this article can be useful to anyone, it may beofparticularinterestto people who live in or near California, New Mexico, Texas andArizona,
