Map out what in-home care is needed and when.

A good place to start is by considering what care is needed or desired and for how long each week. Prepare a list of required duties and when they should be performed. For example, 'mom needs help with showering and dressing between 8.00 am and 10.00 am three mornings a week' or 'prepare a hot meal at 6.00 pm with a reminder to take medications before eating'.

Consider whether overnight care is necessary because of toileting or other care needs at night or because the care recipient is prone to wandering and needs overnight supervision. With increasing disability and chronic illness, many people require 24-hours a day home care to fully meet their needs or continuous monitoring to keep them safe.

Armed with a list of care needs and schedule, next consider which type of home care provider in Bowie you are most comfortable using. When it comes to in-home care, there are three main routes to finding caregivers:

• Home care agency.
• Private hire an independent provider.
• Personal referrals

Home Care Agencies

Home care agencies retain a staff of caregivers that are licensed and supervised by a registered nurse. This means the agency will do the work to screen caregivers, perform background checks, and deal with pay, taxes, and insurance for their clients which is a great bonus. They also provide support from agency staff in case of dispute or complaint and can provide backup care from their pool of employees if the regular caregiver is unable to attend.

However, home care agencies have the disadvantage of being more expensive and less flexible:

• To cover office costs and employee overheads, agencies must charge more - often a lot more - than a privately hired caregiver.
• You may have less choice over the caregiver sent by the agency, and limited opportunity to negotiate over schedule and hours.
• Most agencies also have a minimum number of hours per week or don't accommodate part-time schedules.

Private hire an independent provider

Independent home care providers can be sourced from home care registries, staffing services, and online caregiver listings. Finding and hiring an independent provider can be a lot more work for the care recipient and/or their family but allows for much more control and flexibility. OndeCare, the premium in-home care marketplace, eliminates the work typically associated with Private Hire but maintains the control and flexibility. You can select a 'best fit' caregiver according to specific criteria such as experience, spoken languages, and even interests. Direct person-to-person negotiation over scheduling and services can result in a care experience more tailored to an individual's needs. There is also more opportunity to build a longer-term relationship with a privately hired caregiver, which in turn contributes to consistency and quality of care.

Disadvantages include the work involved in selecting and screening potential caregivers as well as dealing with pay, taxes, and insurance. It also remains the client's responsibility to find a replacement if the usual caregiver calls in sick. Luckily, OndeCare eliminates the work, the tax burden and if for some reason an OndeCare care provider cannot attend, a replacement caregiver is automatically found.

Personal Referrals

Finding a caregiver through a personal referral from a friend or through reaching out to a personal community can feel more reassuring than using a care registry or online caregiver listing but is similar in practice. You still have to do all the leg work to safely hire and manage them. Remember also that the personal referral route is unlikely to help with replacement care in an emergency.