You want to stay in your home. It’s familiar. It’s comfortable. You’ve got great neighbors. So, you’re looking into in-home care services to help you remain independent at home. One of the first decisions is whether to go with a private Caregiver or an in-home care agency Caregiver.
If it’s just a question of the hourly rate, independent Caregivers typically charge less per hour than an agency does. But hourly rate alone is not an “apples to apples” comparison.
Hidden Costs When Hiring a Private Caregiver
Payroll Taxes.
When hiring a Caregiver directly, you are the employer. You have the responsibility for handling Social Security, Medicare, and other employment-related taxes, as well as filing and issuing a W-2. Care agency rates may be higher because they are paying the employer’s portion of the Caregiver’s Social Security and the unemployment taxes. The care agency may also be incurring costs for benefits they provide their Caregivers, such as paid time off and subsidized health insurance.
Background Checks.
You probably don’t want to hire a Caregiver to come into your home who’s also a convicted shoplifter! Conducting thorough background checks and screenings to ensure the Caregiver is qualified and trustworthy is essential. At Sunlight, we perform criminal background checks; check with Adult Protective Services and Child Protective Services; and even check the applicant’s driving records with the DMV and verify their auto insurance as part of our screening process. Furthermore, it is unlawful to employ a non-citizen who cannot legally work in the United States. If considering a private Caregiver, you’ll want to hire a professional service to conduct these necessary background checks.
Insurance.
Private Caregivers often do not come with insurance coverage. One elderly woman’s Caregiver forgot she left the bathtub water running and the tub overflowed. It caused thousands of dollars of damage. That Caregiver had no insurance, nor did she have the ability to pay for the damages. A Sunlight Caregiver would have been insured.
Liability.
You could be liable for an accident or injury suffered by a Caregiver you hired directly when he is in your home. You may be responsible for providing workers’ compensation benefits. Or perhaps you end up not liking that Caregiver and let him go. You could be held liable for wrongful termination or even discrimination.
Further Considerations
Managing the Caregiver.
When hiring a private Caregiver, you assume all responsibilities for monitoring their performance and supervision. When you choose to work with Sunlight, you can call your Care Coordinator should issues arise with your Caregiver’s performance. Your Coordinator steps in to help resolve the problem, or perhaps suggests to you a different Sunlight Caregiver.
Changing Needs.
Over time, your care needs may change. As most care agencies have Caregivers with differing training, experience, and abilities, they may be able to match you with a different Caregiver ideally-suited to your changing needs.
Backup.
When a private Caregiver is sick, has transportation issues, or simply needs time off, you may have to go without care services. Most agencies have backup and contingency plans in place to minimize the likelihood that a care shift goes unfilled.
Reasonable Limitations.
For everyone’s safety and well-being, care agencies typically restrict the services their Caregivers provide. For example, Sunlight Caregivers are not allowed to assist with writing checks and paying bills. Do you really want to hand your Caregiver your credit card? Nearly 24,000,000 people in the U.S. were victims of identity theft in the U.S. in 2021 alone, according to the federal government. You don’t want to have to suspect your Caregiver should you become the victim of identity theft.
When it comes to care services, no one likes surprises. At Sunlight, our goal is to help people make wise, informed decisions regarding care for themselves or their loved one(s). From helping thousands of people get answers to their elder care questions, we developed a very popular downloadable resource: 11 Things to Know When Hiring Non-Medical In-Home Care. Let knowledge replace ambiguity so you can be confident in your care choice!
