How can I find agencies or companies that provide in-home care in my area?

Finding in-home caregivers is a major concern for so many people caring for elderly loved ones. It does take effort, but is well worth it when you get the care you need.

There are several ways you can find in-home help, someone to do housework, chores, or nursing care. First you can try a home health care agency; these are basically job placement services that specialize in providing in-home help for people who are ill or disabled, including seniors. Agencies will match a worker to your situation and usually handle most of the paperwork and supervision.

The second way is to hire someone independently, where you interview candidates, and handle the paperwork and supervision. Both ways can work well. Hiring through an agency almost always costs more than hiring independently.

To find agencies, check on-line or in the telephone directory under "home health care" or "visiting nurses." To find independent workers, ask local senior centers, churches or senior organizations for referrals. Also check local classified ads in a newspaper or on-line. An excellent resource for finding both kinds of caregiver is the Eldercare Locator run by your parents' local Area Agency on Aging. This is a handy on-line tool that links you to local senior services, including in-home care agencies.

Here are some tips for interviewing agencies, once you've narrowed down a list.