Things You Should Consider Before Changing Professional Caregivers

 Finding the right professional caregiver for your senior loved one often takes time, adjustment, and patience. In the current caregiver crunch, when there are more HHA and CNA caregiver jobs than qualified caregivers, having a compatible and competent caregiver is valuable. But your loved one’s needs may change over time, perhaps due to memory loss, a stroke, or a new illness, and their current caregiver may not be suitable for the assistance needed. You may begin to consider requesting a new caregiver. Navigating a caregiver change requires honest communication between family members and your care manager and articulated expectations from family members. Here are a few things you should consider.

Key Questions to Ask Before You Change Caregivers

If you are contemplating a caregiver change, first ask yourself if you have given the home caregiver enough time with your loved one.

Take time to talk with your loved one’s professional caregiver and the home care services provider to share your concerns. They may be able to help navigate the issues.

Also, be honest with each other and yourselves. A few fundamental questions to ask yourself and your loved one:

• What is missing? For example, does your loved one need a different type of care or attention? Is there a personality conflict?
• What makes you or your loved one uncomfortable?
• Are there changes the professional caregiver could make? And if so, make a list and share that with the caregiver and provider.

If you can’t resolve the issue with the caregiver and your home care agency. An experienced agency will work to see if they can provide another caregiver more suited to your needs.

Before You Make a Change

If the current provider cannot meet your family’s needs or if your family isn’t comfortable staying with the agency, it is best to do your research before you make a switch.

Some questions you should be prepared to answer:

• Did you sign a contract or an agreement? If so, read it in full to understand your obligations.
• Are you required to give notice? If so, how much notice are you required to provide?
• Are you required to provide written notice?
• Will there be administrative or exit fees for terminating the contract or agreement?
• Will a caregiver change affect any insurance that may be covering payments? And if so, how much time will be needed to make those changes?

Also, please keep in mind federal regulations require home health care agencies to be more responsive to their clients or risk losing Medicaid or Medicare funding. While it remains unknown when the changes will be fully implemented, it seems clear that new rules will continue to focus on the rights of the client and families.

Going Forward with the Change

You and your loved one should never feel pressured to stay with a professional home health aide who does not meet your needs or an agency with which you remain uncomfortable.

If you and your loved one decide that changing home care agencies is the best option for everyone, be sure you have vetted a new home care provider before ending your agreement with your current provider. Here are the critical first steps to follow to help you:

• Provide adequate notice to your current agency. Inform them you will no longer require their services (again, refer above to important notes about the contract you signed).
• Alert your insurance or bank to ensure payments continue on time, so there is no lag in caregiving.

Remember, too, to be patient as your loved one adjusts to a new professional caregiver. Sometimes, it just takes time. And sometimes, there’s a better fit. Either way, the critical thing to realize is that this is a problem that a superior home care agency like Visiting Angels can solve. Contact us today for a free in-home consultation.

About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA has been providing high-caliber in-home care services for seniors and people with disabilities for over eighteen years. Countless families have benefited from our at-home living assistance, companion care, respite support, live-in and 24/7 home care, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and private duty care services in Natick, Wellesley, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Watertown, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities. As a result of our exemplary home care service, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has won the Best of Home Care Leader in Excellence Award; the Best of Home Care Provider of Choice Award; and the Best of Home Care Employer of Choice Award from the national client satisfaction survey firm, Home Care Pulse, for six years. We have been honored to receive the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work award for seven years and one of the ten best places to work in Massachusetts in 2021 based on diversity and inclusion. Our dedicated and well-trained caregivers love their CNA jobs and HHA jobs.