There are different home care providers in Chicago and other parts of America. But before contacting one, you have to decide whether you want to communicate with an agency or an independent caregiver. Although either of the two can deliver superb services, it’s important to understand the difference between them.
Home care agencies can benefit you in ways that independent providers cannot, and vice versa. Only by carefully cataloging their differences, pros, and cons can you make a huge decision such as hiring a home caregiver.
HIRING HOME CARE AGENCY
An agency will ask you about the type of service your loved one needs. Home care agencies can provide you with a wide selection of caregivers who are trained to provide different kinds of home care services.
Caregivers are trained and licensed
Thorough background checks on the caregivers are done to assure the clients that they will be safe under their care. You don’t have to worry about hiring an inadequate home care provider if you go with an agency. In fact, you can expect that their caregivers are fully trained and licensed. After all, they too have a reputation to uphold.
Monitoring
When someone hires a home care provider, the reason is likely because he can’t assist his loved one fully on all hours of the day. Home care ensures that when you are at home with your family or at work, your loved one is still getting the help that she needs. If you hire an agency, you won’t have to worry too much about monitoring the caregiver — your agency will do that for you. Different agencies have different ways of monitoring caregivers to ensure that tasks and responsibilities are fulfilled.
Supervision
They will take care of everything, from screening to training, salary, and even monitoring. Some agencies might even provide their caregivers will ongoing training to ensure that their skills and knowledge are always up to date. This is one of the biggest benefits of hiring an agency and one that you cannot get by hiring an independent caregiver.
Back-up
You don’t need to worry when your caregiver gets sick, you can request a back-up from your agency. Agencies provide clients with substitute caregivers in case your current one is sick or injured.
HIRING AN INDEPENDENT PROVIDER
You won’t need to go through an agency to hire an independent caregiver, which is probably what makes it the cheaper option. However, that’s not the only benefit of hiring an independent care provider. Here are some of its other advantages:
Flexibility
Since you don’t have an agency to screen applicants for you, a lot of responsibilities will fall on you. Although this can be time consuming, this will also give you some flexibility. You can choose whom to hire based on your standards. You can also delegate and modify the tasks of the caregiver based on your loved ones needs as you see fit.
Service at a Lower Cost
As stated above, independent providers are cheaper than agencies. This means that you can avail home care services at a lower cost.
Hiring a home care provider should not be taken lightly. Before making a choice between an agency and an independent caregiver, make sure to consider your options carefully.
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