What you need to know. It is essential to make the right choice and could mean the difference between keeping your loved on safe and…well, much worse.
Max Bauer, a 93 year old Pearl Harbor survivor, lost his wife of 62 years in 2007. He made the mistake of his life. He was frail, and he had a private live-in caregiver move into his home. This week Sheriff’s deputies arrested the caregiver after finding Mr. Bauer living in squalor, his house filled with trash, rotten food and rat droppings.
This is an extreme case but experts say elder abuse goes chronically under reported. Seniors easily fall victim to financial, psychological and physical abuse by their care provider. When you are hiring an in-home care assistant you need to put a lot of thought and research into the hiring process. There are many choices and as is the case with Max Bauer the consequences could be very serious. First you want to consider should you hire privately or use an agency.
Private vs. Agency
It may seem that hiring a private caregiver would be most economical but legal implications are often overlooked. There are IRS and Labor Law rules and a private caregiver is under the category of “household employee” and the hiring person is considered by law an “employer”. This means that you would assume all the obligations that a normal employer assumes, such as:
- Withholding payroll and Social Security taxes
- Providing Workers™ Compensation Insurance
- Abiding by the State and Federal Labor Laws concerning overtime and benefits
- And much more
Love 2 Live Care Services, a full employment agency, takes care of these employer issues because we are the legal employer of the care attendants. We at Love 2 Live Care Services assume the responsibility of providing supervision, training, coaching, and all other employer-employee related aspects. As a matter of fact, if you are unhappy with your care giver for any reason, Love 2 Live Care Services will easily and quickly find a better, more suitable match.
Other important facts to look for:
- We perform thorough background checks
- We provide excellent training programs
- We supervise our caregivers by qualified personnel
- We pay close attention to client safety
Love 2 Live Care Services provides in-home care to the aged or disabled in San Diego, helping them to continue living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Our services include companion care, assistance with bathing and grooming, meal preparation, running errands, transportation and so much more. If you or your loved one aren’t ready to leave their home and need extra support, call us at 619-291-4663.
We look forward to hearing from you!