The ‘Non-Certified Caregiver:’ What Does this Mean and Does it Matter in River Forest, IL?

Hiring a caregiver for an elderly loved one is a great responsibility. During the process, you are going to hear and learn a lot about various terms for in-home care providers. You will also learn about things to look for as well as things to avoid.

You will hear the term “independent contractor” with regard to various in-home care providers. This essentially means someone you hire on your own and not through an agency.

Home care agencies operate throughout the country and serve most towns in every state. They have employees who are in-home care providers that are assigned to various patients in their charge.

When you hire through an agency, you are hiring someone who at least adheres to your particular state’s minimal requirements. Some states require that caregivers be certified or have a background check conducted on them before they begin working with an elderly patient.

When you hire an independent contractor, meaning you look for somebody on your own, it is important that you be sure they will not only be experienced in providing home care for your elderly loved one, but that they have the proper training and meet the state’s minimal requirements to be a caregiver.

If you find somebody who is not certified as a caregiver, what does this mean? You may see this term being promoted through various home care agencies or for independent caregivers. The term itself does not mean very much as few states have any type of generalized certification programs for caregivers.

However, there are certain organizations that will “certify” various positions to help families know that who they are hiring for their loved one has experience and knowledge to be the best caregiver that they can be.

Just because somebody is not certified to be a caregiver, that does not mean they can’t be one, as long as they are allowed to provide care to individuals in your elderly loved one’s state.

In order to ensure that your loved one gets the best quality care possible, consider hiring through an agency. When you hire through an agency, you will know that the caregiver will have support from the agency and if they advertise that they have experience, then it’s a safe bet that they do.

If this is your first time looking for an in-home care provider for an elderly loved one, it may seem to be overwhelming at times. Just know that the more effort you put into finding the right caregiver for your loved one, the better the care will be in most cases.