Why Families Turn to Caregiver Agencies
Often times, families turn to caregiver agencies because they can offer a large pool of caregivers who have been carefully interviewed, vetted, bonded and insured. Caregiver agencies can also take on the responsibility of screening, medical examinations, drug tests and verifying credentials to reduce family workload. They also provide minimal paperwork and payroll taxes, which saves families time and money.
Caregivers working for a home care agency are considered employees and as such, they are entitled to certain benefits like worker’s compensation insurance and unemployment insurance in case of an accident. On the other hand, a family who hires an independent caregiver will need to manage payroll and withholdings on their own or use a third party service that does this for them.
Depending on the type of care needed, it may be difficult for a loved one to accept help from an independent caregiver and the process of finding and hiring them could take longer than with an agency. Additionally, if the family discovers that they are not happy with their independent caregiver, they will have to go through the entire search and hiring process again, which can be very frustrating. Agencies, on the other hand, can make a replacement quickly and efficiently. They can also arrange next day coverage for situations such as unexpected sick days or vacations. They can also provide backup caregivers for shifts when a client’s regular caregiver is on leave. They can do this without charging a finder’s fee, which is typically charged by registry companies. caregiver agencies