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In-home Caregivers in Escondido Should Be Supervised
Even after an agency screens and trains someone to be an excellent in-home caregiver in Escondido or another San Diego County town, it should continue its involvement by supervising each worker under its jurisdiction. As you will see in this article, this is a gaping hole in the service of many care companies, and it puts seniors at risk.
A Common Problem
The root cause of a lack of supervision is usually the basic system under which a home care agency operates. Most companies work on a contractor basis, managing the connections between clients and caregivers, but not actually employing the caregivers. Thus, once the connection has been made and a caregiver begins working, the agency doesn’t really follow up to see whether the service lives up to expectations.
Even when the agency works on an employer basis, instead of a contractor basis, many still do not provide meaningful supervision. That can eventually lead to a full range of problems including crossing of personal/professional boundaries, failure to follow professional caregiving standards, failure to show up or stay for the full scheduled time, and more.
The Better Choice
When the company actually hires and supervises caregivers, there is far more accountability on the part of both the agency and the workers. The client has a way to voice concerns about service, by contacting the worker’s supervisor. The agency, on the other hand, is responsible for the actions of the worker and gives more attention to them. This structure is the one we are used to seeing in other areas of work, and abandoning it in the case of an in-home caregiver is a mistake.
Supervision Policies
There are a few policies that help keep workers, agencies, and clients all on the same page. One of those is unannounced visits to the client’s home while a caregiver is working. Supervisors and family members of the client should both do this—it’s the best way to see just what is going on in the home when the caregiver is alone with the client. The supervisors of an in-home caregivers should also be available any time a client or family member has a concern. Accessibility and communication reflect honesty and a concern for the client’s well-being above all else.
Originally posted 2012-07-27 10:30:50.