San Francisco Senior Home Care

In San Francisco, senior home care is not hard to find. But with so many senior home care services out there, how do you know which is right for your family? Luckily, there are several guidelines available that you should apply when searching for San Francisco senior home care.

First, check and make sure that the caregivers are not freelancers. While the vast majority of freelancers are good caregivers, they do not necessarily have the support and training of being a full time employee with a larger service provider. With a full time employee, you have the guarantee that the caregiver assigned to your elderly loved one will be fully trained and capable of handling anything that might come up. You want your loved one’s caregiver to be able to handle an emergency should one arise. A freelancer may or may not have the in depth training that a full time employee does, thus making them a little bit riskier of a choice.

You want to make sure your caregiver is fully insured, as well. A comprehensive insurance would include general, physical and sexual misconduct, non-owned auto, and professional insurances. These protect both the person receiving care, the employee providing care, and of course, the company supplying the caregiver. Having insurance is a thing that you hope to never need to use, but if for some reason it is needed, it is a benefit that cannot be duplicated. A well-insured caregiver doesn’t need to worry about doing something wrong accidentally. Instead, they can focus on doing their job to the best of their ability.

A criminally bonded caregiver is also a must. Again, this is something you don’t want to ever need, but protection against theft and dishonesty is a great thing to have in place just in case. A fully bonded caregiver provides peace of mind for their care recipients.

Worker’s compensation is also a thing to take into account. If the caregiver is injured within your home, worker’s comp will kick in and protect you from paying for injuries and damages.

If you go with a freelance caregiver, or a caregiver provided by a placement agency, the odds are that they will not be insured or bonded. Worker’s compensation is generally not available to freelancers as they are self employed as well. While they might be an overall excellent caregiver otherwise, you are missing out on the peace of mind—something that any person who has ever needed to use these safety nets will tell you is a necessary and beneficial aspect of receiving care.

Go with a professional service provider. They have many benefits that smaller agencies and freelancers cannot provide. If the unthinkable does occur, you want your relative receiving care to be protected. San Francisco senior home care doesn’t have to be a risk.