Hiring help for the helper

 

There comes a time for many family caregivers that outside help is needed. If you are one of the millions of people who care for someone who has pain, either because he or she is dying or because of the nature of the illness, you don’t have an easy job. There are physical tasks that can be demanding and there’s the psychological and emotional aspect of care, as well.

If you don’t have other family members who can help pick up the load, you’ll have to bring in some outside help for your loved one’s sake – and for yours.

Decide what you need

Before searching for someone to help you, you need to decide what type of help you’re looking for. Are you looking someone who will:

- do household tasks, like housekeeping?

- do personal care for your loved one, such as bathing?

- act as a sitter to be present if you need to leave?

- provide nursing care or assistance?

Job description

Once you have decided what sort of help you’re looking for, you need a job description for your helper. In this job description, you need to be as specific as possible, detailing what it is is you want your helper to do

Finding someone

Often, people find in-home help through recommendations, either through friends, members of the palliative care team, or your doctor’s office staff, for example. Other places you can look for help are:

- home healthcare agencies

- want ads

- nursing schools

- Internet sites

Salary

You will have to calculate how much money you can pay your hired help. Of course, the more involved the work, the higher a salary they will require. You may qualify for funding from government agencies, so be sure to check this out.

Hiring

After you’ve begun your search, you have to interview the prospective helper. Some of the usual questions are:

- what type of training have you had?

- do you have any certificates?

- what type of experience do you have?

- can you provide references?

- have you ever worked with someone who is in chronic pain/is terminally ill?

- what were your responsibilities?

The work

When your helper is hired, you need to be perfectly clear about the expectations. It is best to put it in writing, in a contract that is read, understood, and signed by your helper. Some of the information in the contract* should include:

- hours of work expected

- how to handle unexpected overtime

- hours to begin and finish work

- tasks expected

- salary and benefits

- terms of termination should this become necessary

*Note: This is not a substitute for legal advice. For legal information on how to write a contract that is legal in your area, obtain legal advice from a lawyer.

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