Finding the Right HHA

                I hear a number of stories about home health aides(HHA), some good, some down-right bad. It goes without saying that we all want the best care for our loved one, and when we can’t do all of it, and we have the means to bring in aides, we have to be careful about the kind of person we choose to bring into our home.

This may put off some people, but I do believe you get what you pay for when it comes to home health aides. I know times are tough, and people don’t have a lot of money to spend, and we do need a lot of help. However, if you find an aide for $5 per hour, you probably aren’t going to get a lot of support. At that rate, you probably got what boils down to a babysitter. Sorry, if that offends anyone. Now, where it gets interesting is in the $8-10 range. You can find a little better quality aide, someone that may have experience and knows first aide and has certification (ask!). I think it’s in the $10+ per hour range, where you will find people who come with certification and will pay a lot more attention to your loved one. Regardless of the hourly rate you can afford and decide to budget for the help, be clear on the domestic worker/employer rules that may require you to file 1099s, etc.

Always interview the candidates and be very specific in your needs, time to start/end, hours per day, per week, what all is involved, special needs, diet, medicine concerns, if light housekeeping is required or more involved housekeeping, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, and note if your loved one has personal hygiene requirements, etc. Get references and check them. It helps to speak to someone that the candidate worked for previously. Word of mouth is the best referral.

 Leave emergency contact phone numbers (at least primary and secondary contacts, home and cell phones) and it may make sense to leave paperwork in the event of an emergency where the aide would be required to take your loved on to the hospital. They should be allowed to sign your loved one in, and be sure they know the insurance and basic information. I typed all of these details up and put them in one of the plastic sleeves you can get at Office Depot and left it on the refrigerator with a magnet. I was so specific that there were times for meals, preferred meals, the schedule for showers, and even called out favorite tv shows and their times and channels. Medicines were documented with doctor, frequency, dose, when started (or stopped), and description for what they were used to address.

In addition to the basic requirements, watch the interaction with your loved one. Do they get along? This is important and not to be taken lightly. If your loved one doesn’t like the aide, it will not be a healthy relationship and that could cause stress on your loved one that would impair their health. Not to mention could cause stress on you if you find yourself worried about what is going on when you are not home. Be clear on the expectations around interactions. I expected my aide to have coffee with Gramps, read the paper, play cards, take him outside to listen to the radio, and basically whatever she could do to engage him and interact. I didn’t want him just sitting by himself watching tv all day. I heard stories of aides that ignore their patient and play on their computer all day, that is not right and should not be tolerated. Set the expectations from the beginning.

Much like we don’t always get medicines right on the first go around, it may require testing out a few aides before you get one you and your loved one like and trust. Be particular! This is your loved one and your home and you have to be careful on who you let into your home. If you don’t get it right the first pass, don’t be afraid to say it isn’t working and find someone else. There is someone for every one and it’s important to get it right.