How to Start Private Personal Care for the Elderly

Care of the elderly is a critical issue that our society currently faces, with more and more of the aging population choosing to stay in their homes instead of moving into nursing facilities. Home care of the elderly involves many different services such as meal preparation, light housekeeping and errand running. Assistance with hygiene and even pet care is often needed. If you want to set up your home to care for one or more elderly people, there are several things to consider.

Instructions

Aspects of In-home Care for the Elderly.

• 1

  Visit an in-home elderly care center to understand the services it provides. Find out what kind of health care products are needed, consider what health conditions you can reasonably handle, and ask what kind of supplies are needed.

• 2

  Learn what legal requirements you will have to fulfill in order to start your private, personal care agency for the elderly. Find out what is the maximum number of people you may care for in your home, will you be required to perform background checks on people you hire, and what kind of certification and training will be required for yourself and others?

• 3

  Apply for your license. To find out about what kind of license you will need, contact the health-care administration in your state and explain that you want to start an in-home elderly care agency. The administration can tell you how to apply and whether you will need certification and classes in geriatric care.

• 4

  Purchase insurance to cover you and the elderly people that will be in your care. Talk to a licensed insurance broker to find out about liability and malpractice insurance. The type of insurance you will need will depend on what kind of care you plan on providing.

• 5

  Consider hiring people to help you; you will need to hire certified nurse assistants or home health aides. Again, it depends on what kind of care you plan on providing. Contact medical employment agencies and enlist their help.