Assess Your Elder’s Needs Before Hiring a Caregiver
Before hiring a caregiver, you need to Assess Your Elder’s Needs and decide which types of care and services are required. For example, you wouldn’t hire a non-medical skilled homemaker if your loved one needs skilled nursing services. As your senior’s advocate, you need to decide which areas need help before hiring a job candidate. Think about what ways or tasks can best utilize the time of a paid employee, and what types of things you and your elder still want to tackle on your own. Keep in mind the everyday demands of your other family members, your job, social responsibilities, and daily tasks/chores.
To find the best fit for your family:
- Make out a thorough list of all the tasks you do as a caregiver. Include things like helping your elder dress in the morning, take their meds, bathe, grocery shop, prepare meals, run errands, attend appointments, pay their bills, laundry…
- Now make a new list that includes the tasks you can delegate to a hired elder caregiver, as well as the days of the week and time of the task. For example, make lunch for dad while I’m at work, give dad his medications daily at 10am, grocery shop for my parents on Wednesday afternoons, or give mum a ride to her physical therapy on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:30pm.
- Now that you have the 2 lists with tasks, you can see what type of services and skills will be needed. Are you seeking a companion to mainly visit with your elder and prepare meals? Are you seeking more of a housekeeper type to mainly do housework and chores? Are you seeking a medically trained individual to provide more in-depth care, such as giving insulin shots?
- Consider your budget. Are the services you are requesting going to fit in the budget? Before you start searching for the perfect candidate, decide how much you can afford to pay them for their services. Be sure to check your local legal minimum wage and hour requirements for household employees. Also, check out our post on gross vs. net: What’s the Difference Between Gross and Net, and Why Do I Need to Care?
Once you take the plunge and hire the perfect fit for your senior, avoid hefty fines and penalties by keeping things legal and up to date with the CRA. Don’t worry if you aren’t a math whiz and tax expert, as we are! We know everything there is to know about payroll tax, we can set up your CRA and WCB accounts, cover all your payroll, deductions, and tax filing needs, and ensure that you’re compliant with your provincial Employment Standards. As an added bonus, the first month of our services is free! Visit us at NannyTax to learn more!
