.png&w=256&q=75){kind=small}
What Should You Be Cautious of with a Home Care Companion?
Date Updated: December 16, 2024
Written by:
Leigh Morgan has more than 15 years of experience writing about senior care. She’s the author of “Financial Safety for Seniors: 77 Tips for Preventing Elder Financial Abuse” and has written hundreds of articles about Medicare, Medicaid, assisted living communities, nursing homes and memory care. Morgan developed an interest in senior care while recruiting home health nurses, certified nursing assistants and patient care technicians for a large health care system.
Reviewed by:
Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
You should be cautious of hiring a home care companion with a criminal record or a lack of experience caring for older adults. Home care companions have access to your home and your personal information, so you must vet them carefully.
What Is a Home Care Companion?
A home care companion provides services to seniors who need help maintaining independence, including personal assistance and companionship. Personal assistance includes help with bathing, getting dressed and other activities of daily living. Home care companions also transport seniors to medical appointments, prepare meals and perform basic housekeeping tasks.
Personal care enables seniors to stay in their homes instead of moving to institutional settings, while companionship reduces the risk of depression and helps older adults feel less alone. Both types of home care improve a senior's overall quality of life.
Why Should You Vet Home Care Companions Carefully?
Home care companions have access to several areas of your home, putting them in close contact with jewelry, cash and other valuable items. In-home care providers also have the opportunity to view bank statements, medical documents, insurance policies and other personal information. If you don't vet each companion carefully, you could end up hiring someone with a history of identity theft, insurance fraud or related crimes.
Unlike home health care professionals, in-home care providers don't offer medical care. A home care companion should have experience helping with activities of daily living and addressing a senior's personal needs. Carefully reviewing your options makes it easier to find a provider with the right type of experience.