| Caregiver hiring is one of the most important tasks you | | | | candidate can demonstrate how to take blood |
| will ever face in your life. Your loved one's well-being | | | | pressure and temperature. See how the caregiver |
| depends upon your success in hiring the appropriate | | | | puts on gloves. Experienced caregivers know how to |
| person or team. | | | | grasp the gloves by the heel and pull them on quickly. |
| It is important to have a sound philosophy regarding | | | | Have them demonstrate washing their hands. All these |
| your goals in providing care for your loved one. The | | | | small items add up to not transferring disease to your |
| fundamental cornerstones: | | | | frail loved one. Depending upon your patient's needs, |
| Caregiver Hiring Cornerstones | | | | don't just ask them about their skills. Have them do it |
| 1. Dignity | | | | while you are watching. Changing a bandage on a |
| 2. Happiness | | | | surgical incision that is healing for example. The good |
| 3. Alleviate Suffering | | | | caregiver should be proactive in telling you what |
| 4. Home Sweet Home | | | | medical supplies will be helpful for the patient. Ask |
| 5. Caregiver as a Servant | | | | them to give you their list based on your description of |
| Dignity | | | | the patient's ailments. If they have the proper |
| Disease and aging take away some of your loved | | | | experience, they will reel of a list of needed supplies |
| one's ability to accomplish what they wish on their own. | | | | quickly without hesitation. Lastly, don't forget the |
| They have to endure being assisted. For example, an | | | | benefits of massage. See if your caregiver can give a |
| elderly frail person cannot waive off an insulting person | | | | soothing massage. Notice their touch. Is it a healing |
| when that person is helping them to the commode in a | | | | touch? Note how your patient responds. |
| time of need. This is a hard hit to the person's dignity. | | | | Home Sweet Home |
| A key rule in caregiver hiring is to be aware of how | | | | The primary reason you are caregiver hiring is that you |
| the potential servant interacts with your loved one. | | | | have chosen to provide assistance to your loved one |
| Here are some warning signs of a dignity killing | | | | at home instead of placing them in a skilled nursing |
| caregiver: | | | | facility or nursing home. It is your intention to leverage |
| 1. Fails to openly express respect for your loved one. | | | | the atmosphere of being at home to facilitate the |
| 2. Does not listen. Only pretends. They won't be able | | | | quality of life of your patient. So make sure your |
| to tell you what your loved one just said to them | | | | caregiver candidate can demonstrate homemaker |
| moments earlier. | | | | skills. Some caregivers will transform your house into a |
| 3. Fails to allow your loved one to finish speaking | | | | hospital. This is not necessary in most instances. The |
| before cutting them off verbally. | | | | benefits of feeling at ease and comfortable in your |
| 4. Speaks baby talk to your adult loved one. | | | | own home far outweigh the need to have the most |
| 5. Talks very loudly to your loved one even though | | | | efficient medical facility setup at home. The quality |
| they hear fine. | | | | caregiver will understand the nuance of facilitating |
| 6. Uses irreverent nicknames without permission like | | | | comfort with pillows for example. Pets are great |
| "honey", "mamma" or "sweetie". | | | | companions. Determine if your caregiver is allergic to |
| 7. Speaks to your loved one like they speak to a pet. | | | | your patient's best friend. See how they get along. |
| They may previously have been pet sitters as the bulk | | | | Have them demonstrate washing dishes and folding |
| of their prior experience! | | | | towels. The experienced candidate will perform quickly |
| 8. Always stands above your loved one never sitting | | | | and quietly. See if they can demonstrate changing the |
| with them at the same level. | | | | thermostat on the wall or changing the TV channel. |
| 9. Always ORDERS and TELLS and never ASKS | | | | Watch them sweep the floor or do a load of laundry. |
| permission. | | | | Notice if they are comfortable with homemaking or |
| 10. Takes personal phone calls in the presence of the | | | | awkward. Can they sketch or knit for example. Can |
| patient. | | | | they play the piano in your living room? Maintain the |
| These telltale signs seem innocent enough. But, the | | | | home as a home NOT as a hospital. Your caregiver |
| dignity of the patient needing care is fragile. Beware of | | | | will play a key role in accomplishing this while providing |
| these behaviors in the caregiver you may be hiring. | | | | quality care if you choose them carefully. |
| They often are symptomatic of a deeper disregard | | | | Caregiver as a Servant |
| for the dignity of the person they will be charged with | | | | While this category is covered last in many ways this |
| serving. Preserving dignity is the most important | | | | is fundamentally the most important of the Caregiver |
| responsibility of the caregiver. | | | | Hiring Cornerstones. In many countries the family cares |
| Happiness | | | | for a loved one at home facilitated by several |
| Happiness is particularly important for the dementia | | | | servants tasked with the patient's care. In such |
| patient. The dementia patient is very sensitive to the | | | | countries there is typically an inequitable distribution of |
| moods and atmosphere in the house. Happiness is | | | | wealth with a poor class or classes of people in |
| contagious. Ironically, the most medically skilled | | | | society who work for slave wages. As a result, the |
| caregiver you are considering hiring, may have a very | | | | grandmother of the family may actually have 5 |
| tense, serious attitude. It is a common situation. The | | | | servants taking care of her every need. We don't |
| business-like unfriendly attitudes are devastating | | | | have such a culture, however it is important to |
| moods for anyone requiring care to have to endure | | | | understand for the patient's well being that the |
| from their servants. Understand the personality | | | | caregiver is a servant to the patient not the boss of |
| disposition of the potential caregiver. They should be | | | | the patient. This is not a common understanding. |
| genuinely happy by nature. Caregiving can be a | | | | Typically, the caregiver will assume a parent type role |
| high-pressure endeavor at times. Ask the potential | | | | instructing the patient what to do and when. This can |
| servant what they did on their last day off. You can | | | | damage the patients assertive capabilities especially |
| train a happy person complicated custodial duties. You | | | | dementia patients. They can become totally dependent |
| can't train an unhappy person how to be happy. See if | | | | upon the instructions the caregiver dolls out. They in |
| your candidate can tell a good joke, or tell them a | | | | effect loose their will to be the boss. They stop |
| funny story and see if they genuinely laugh. Laughter is | | | | initiating. A key technique to mitigate the risk of this |
| the best medicine. | | | | happening to your loved one is providing a servant to |
| Alleviate Suffering | | | | them. The caregiver is paid to serve. When witnessing |
| This is the core caregiver skill - healing. When you are | | | | the candidate you are considering hiring, note how they |
| caregiver hiring, each candidate should be able to | | | | respond to requests from your patient. Do they simply |
| display the necessary practical and sometimes medical | | | | ignore requests and perform only listed tasks. Do they |
| skills needed to make your patient physically feel | | | | pretend to respond to the patient but really do nothing? |
| better. Many patients will need assistance walking to | | | | Service is a state of mind. Determine and insure that |
| the bathroom. A good caregiver will know to use a | | | | the caregiver you will entrust your loved one's care |
| transfer belt or at least NOT to grasp the patient by | | | | has a servant mind set and reinforces your patient's |
| the shoulder ready to pull the shoulder out of socket | | | | role as the boss of the servant. |
| when catching the falling patient. Make sure the | | | | |