Properly matching client to caregiver is one of the most important factors of both client and caregiver satisfaction. When beginning with any home care agency, clients typically have many questions run through their head. Who is going to be helping me? What are they like? What is their experience? Any home care agency worth their salt will be able to answer these questions through a thorough in-home assessment.
Assessment process
A good, thorough in-home assessment will help the agency better understand not only the care needs of the individual, but their likes and dislikes as well. The agency should delve deeper into what the care needs are. What level of bathing assistance is required? How ambulatory is the prospective client? What are their meal preferences? Are they incontinent? These questions help the assessor get a better overall picture of what their needs are, and what caregivers have the best skillset to meet those needs.
More on the light-hearted side of things, the assessor should take the time to learn more about the prospective client as an individual. Questions that a good assessment will include are what are some hobbies/interests that you enjoy that you are still able to partake in? What hobbies/interests did you have that you can’t do anymore? Do you have any standing appointments? Do you need assistance with your pets? A big part of providing in-home care is companionship. Being able to relate to a client and be a friend is almost as important as the care needs.
Once this thorough assessment process has taken place, the agency now has a plethora of information in which to select a caregiver. They go through first to see what caregivers have the proper skill set to provide appropriate care. Second, they go through that list of caregivers and see who has similar interests and hobbies as the client. Third, they see which caregivers on the shortlist have the availability that matches the client’s needs. Through this process, a client can be rest assured that they are getting a caregiver that is experienced, relatable, and kind.
Properly matching client to caregiver
