By Joe Ponepinto

Many seniors who are healthy enough to stay in their homes, rather than move to a care facility or move in with relatives, prefer to remain in an environment that they know and feel comfortable in. But often these seniors need a little help around the house, whether it’s cleaning, doing laundry, or personal care like bathing. If children can’t provide it, then hiring a service or agency may be an option.

Before you or your parent enters into such an arrangement, there are a few steps to consider to make sure the safety of the senior is not at stake. Here are a few tips for hiring in-home help for seniors. These come from the California Bar Foundation.

• Before talking to representatives of in-home services, assess the senior’s needs to determine the level of service needed. Decide how much you can afford. Then, when you do talk with agency reps, you won’t be as easily persuaded to pay for services that are not needed.
• Seek referrals. If you don’t know anyone who can provide them, visit the local Area Agency on Aging web site.
• Find out if Medicare covers any of the cost.
• Ask many questions. Ask about the agency’s screening and training for caregivers. Do they conduct background checks? Is the agency bonded? Also determine whether the agency is responsible for caregiver taxes and insurance.
• If you or your parent is responsible for taxes (usually if you hire someone independent of an agency), visit your state’s official web site to determine what they are.
• Once a person or company is hired, take precautions in the home to safeguard valuables and important documents. Move them to another location or lock them up. Make sure things like Social Security numbers and bank account information are locked up too.