You’ve decided that it’s time to consider in-home care for your elderly loved one. Now you need to carefully weigh all of the options. All of the different terms can be a little confusing. For instance, what’s the difference between an in-home care agency and a registry? Let’s take a look.
Who’s the Employer?
An in-home care agency has its own staff of trained and qualified staff. Their management team also takes care of hiring any personnel that is needed. They also assume any liability.
A registry is little more than a source for referrals. The home care aides are not under their employ. They merely let the customer know who is out there and it is then the customer’s job to weed through the choices and hire the aides they want. This also means that the liability falls on the customer instead of the registry.
An in-home care agency manages things like conducting background checks, verifying references, hammering out salary details, finding out what type of experience, credentials, and skills the caregivers have. If there is ever a time when a caregiver needs to call in sick, they make sure that a qualified substitute is sent in their place. They also take care of the financial details like taxes and payroll.
What Does it Mean When it Talks About Bonded, Licensed and Insured?
Agencies like A Peaceful Way Home Care have caregivers who are bonded, licensed, and insured. The role of home care aide is often a physically demanding one. If a caregiver is hurt on the job, they can file a claim with the home care agency’s insurance.
If a home care agency is licensed, it means that the caregivers that they employ are skilled and capable of carrying out the duties that are needed in a home care worker.
When an agency is bonded, it means that if any of their caregivers are involved in a theft on the premises, the bonding company will compensate the client.
Registries hire home care aides as an independent contractor. As such it isn’t as likely that they will be bonded and insured. This means that it’s harder for the client to be sure if the aide they are getting is skilled, capable, and honest. It also means that if a worker gets hurt on the job, the client will be responsible for the medical bills.
With an in-home care agency, if a caregiver’s work is substandard in any way, the client can report this to the agency, and they will take care of it.
With a registry, the client must deal with it on their own if a caregiver doesn’t measure up.
Cost
An in-home care agency might seem a bit more expensive at first glance when compared with a registry, but when you factor in all of the pros and cons, an agency is your best bet in the long run.
Thankfully, A Peaceful Way Home Care is a quality in-home care agency that provides excellent care and support for you and your loved one. For compassionate, customized in-home care on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Torrance, or other greater Los Angeles South Bay communities, call (310) 377-3776 today to schedule a free in-home assessment.