How to Select a Home Health Aide

Disabled people and the elderly sometimes require additional help with daily activities in their own homes. A home health aide is a professional who comes to your home to help with hygiene and personal care. You will want to find someone whom you can trust with these tasks and with whom you feel comfortable. A home health aide works for you and should meet your expectations. Like any other employer, you want to make sure that you choose the right person for the job.

Instructions

• 1

  Inquire about the length of service. A home health aide who has been working in the field for 10 years is preferable for a more complicated job. A home health aide who has just recently begun to work will be able to adequately handle a job with a person who only requires minimal help. The more help you need, the more experienced your home health aide should be.

• 2

  Review each potential aide's resume and verify employment. Check that she has actually done the tasks listed on the resume. Some people pad their resumes and exaggerate their work experience in order to get a job. Protect yourself by verifying whether a person's resume is truthful.

• 3

  Conduct a personal interview. Invite the person to your home and speak with him. Use this time to ask all of the questions you have about the job and what he has to offer. Get to know him as a person. Ask about his life and interests to help you gauge if you are comfortable with him.

• 4

  Ask which tasks your home health aide is willing to perform. A good home health aide is able to help you with everything you need, including bathing, dressing and eating. If a potential aide is unwilling to do a task you will require, it is best to move on to someone who will.

• 5

  Check references. Never hire a home health aide without checking references. Insist that she submit professional references, preferably people whom she has worked for in the past. Call all of the references and make an effort to speak with all of them.

• 6

  Determine your needs and the availability of the home health aide. Some home health aides are willing to live in your home. Others come to help when you need them. Still others carry a beeper and will come any time of day if you need something. Determine which type of home health aide you will need and mention these requirements when you speak with potential aides.