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Three Locations to
Serve You
Eugene/Springfield
1126 Gateway Loop,
Ste. 140
Springfield, OR 97477
Phone (541)
344-3273
Coos Bay
320 Central Ave.,
Ste. 501
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Phone (541) 266-8080
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Benefits of Hiring an In-Home Care Agency
In-home personal health care provides more flexible options for long-term needs of older adults and those with chronic illnesses. An in-home caregiver helps make it possible for people with functional limitations to remain at home in a comfortable, familiar environment. Caregivers provide a wide range of "assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)," such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, feeding. In addition, caregivers help with "instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)" such as shopping, meal preparation, laundry, transportation, and scheduling medical appointments.
State-licensed home care agencies have many responsibilities in providing consistent supervision for the employees they hire as caregivers. This includes helping the caregivers to understand the proper standards of care according to the parameters of non-medical personal care, and alerting family members to the client's status.
Providing supervision is often as important for the caregiver as it is for the family. Caregivers often work with various dynamics of the private home situation. There are always different belief values, faith, and cultural traditions, and different expectations about personal care, food, and housekeeping. An in-home care agency helps clarify the roles of their caregivers, and the expectations of both caregiver and client. When a family is ready to hire an in-home care agency, they need to take into consideration the type of help needed, the financial and tax implications, the need for supervision and the relative vulnerability of the person receiving the care.
Should the family hire a private caregiver without going through an agency, the family is required to pay Social Security, unemployment and payroll taxes. Many private caregivers will represent themselves as independent contractors. However, it is the responsibility of the family to verify that the caregiver is truly an independent contractor and is therefore paying their own taxes. In many instances, the caregiver will not meet the legal criteria as an independent contractor. The family becomes the caregiver's employer if that caregiver has not met their tax obligation. This can be a substantial inconvenience because it may involve interest on back taxes, civil fines and the possibility of criminal penalties. Families employing a private caregiver should seek the advice of a labor attorney to assure appropriate hiring practices within federal and state tax laws. Other factors to consider are physical safety liabilities. The family paying for the private caregiver would be held liable for any work-related injury that occurs on the job. This can include the cost of all medical expenses, disability payments, or a possible lawsuit. Most in-home care agencies carry workers compensation insurance to cover work related injuries. The family would be better off working with an in-home care agency when they are not willing or unable to assume the full range of responsibilities.
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