While many older adults want to remain in their homes as they age, sometimes they need a little help to remain independent. One of the best ways to help them do this is to hire a home health care worker to provide them with the help they need, whether they need assistance with chores, personal hygiene, activities of daily living, driving to appointments or medical issues.
But how do you know that the person you are hiring is trustworthy and safe? According to Joe Martin, cofounder of Allegiance Home Health & Rehab with his wife, Rosie Inguanzo-Martin, you should work with a company that truly vets its employees.
“Everyone on our staff first goes through an interview process with the human resources department, and then depending on what their discipline is, they interview with the head of that department,” he explained. “If that goes well, they have a third interview with the director of human resources or with me or my wife, Rosie, depending on the post.” The candidate is also required to pass a competency test in their particular discipline.
Once the person has met these requirements, he or she is required to go through a Level Two background check through the FBI database that requires fingerprinting, and flags any past or present issues.
“If they’ve made it to this point, we conduct a professional license check to make sure that their license is in good standing, and that all of their continuing education credits are up-to-date,” said Rosie, adding that they also contact a minimum of two references.
While the skills that an applicant has are important, they need to bring more to the table, according to Joe. “They have to be a caregiver; to have a caring attitude and be a trustworthy person,” he explained. “While we appreciate that they have expertise in their fields, we can teach them the technical things; but you can’t teach empathy or trust.”
Once hired, employees undergo a 90-day probationary period. Field personnel are accompanied by an experienced clinician on visits and must also complete a field competency test to demonstrate their real-world skills. “They are supervised and monitored above and beyond the state law,” said Joe, adding that supervisor follow-ups are done every two weeks even after the probationary period is over.
“Our biggest goal is to create a comfortable environment for our patients and employees,” added Rosie. “This enables them to build a bond that creates long-standing relationships.”