How to Get a Home Aide Worker

Home aide workers, better known as home health aides, assist chronically ill or disabled people who live in their own homes but need more intensive care than family and friends can offer. There were 1,738,800 home health aides working in the United States in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finding a home health aide who can work effectively with your loved one requires some effort, but there are home health care agencies that recruit aides and can assist you in the search.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand what home health aides are expected to do so your expectations will be realistic. Home health aides assist patients in getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, grooming and exercising. They often do some housekeeping, prepare meals and give their patients medications. They also may offer emotional support to the patient.

• 2

  If your relative is still mentally alert, talk about your plans to hire a home health aide. Ask which tasks he currently needs assistance with, and write them down. Add your own ideas to the list as well. Ask your loved one if any of his friends can recommend a home health aide or home health care agency.

• 3

  Ask other family members to review the list of home health aide tasks to see if you have left out anything. Make an appointment with your relative's primary-care doctor, and get the doctor's feedback on the list. Ask your family members and your loved one's doctor if they know of a home health aide or home health care agency that they like.

• 4

  If your loved one is a senior citizen, contact the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. This organization maintains lists of many different resources for home care. If your relative is eligible for Medicare or Medicaid assistance, you can ask your state government for a list of home health care agencies that are certified by Medicare and Medicaid. You can also visit Medicare.gov's Home Health Compare website, which provides lists of Medicare-certified home health care agencies.

• 5

  Some home health care patients do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. If your relative falls into this category, you can turn to a private pay agency, also known as a private duty home health care agency. Private duty agencies accept private health insurance payments, long-term-care insurance payments and money from patients' savings. The National Private Duty Association can help you locate its member agencies in your area.

• 6

  You can also search for a home health aide on your own. You can place a classified ad in a local newspaper's print and online editions or post a notice on an employment website that specializes in matching home health aides and their employers. Or you can create an ad in the employment section of a general services website such as Craigslist. If you hire a home health aide on your own instead of through an agency, you will become the aide's official employer and be responsible for complying with tax and payroll requirements.