Refuses to allow any caregiving help in the
home?
Keep in mind that any kind of change can be very frightening
for elders and fear of the unknown can be greatly intensified.
Have their doctor write a "prescription" saying
that they must have a caregiver come in to help them. Ask
the doctor to sternly advise them that they must have some
caregiving help in their home, or legal action may have
to be taken.
You can also have a elder care agency send a social worker
to help convince your parent how much easier things would
be if someone came in to help them. Assure your loved one
that you will monitor the caregiver to make sure things
get done properly.
If that doesn't work, confidentially contact Adult Protective
Services and explain the situation. They will send someone
to talk to your parent. Their report automatically goes
to the local police department—so an officer will be visiting
soon too. A uniformed police officer may be just enough
to convince your obstinate parent of the seriousness of
the situation!
Decide if you want to hire an elder care agency (which
can be more expensive, but the caregivers are usually supervised
and bonded), or if you want to find someone on your own
(which will require more on-going supervision from you).
Some agencies will do extensive background checks, others
will not. Inquire as to exactly what background checks have
been done on the caregiver you are thinking of hiring from
an agency and get that in writing. If they will not put
this information in writing, they probably have not done
the background checks. In either case, it's best to pack
up all the valuables and remove any temptations from caregivers
who come into the home.
As you begin interviewing caregivers, there are so many
things you need to know... More tips on page 286
of Elder Rage.
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