A Fictional Story About The Real Dangers of Hiring a Private Caregiver

Once upon a time in a city not far away, there lived an elderly woman named Henrietta. Henrietta valued her independence and dignity and preferred to age in place at home, but her daughter Susan had noticed her mom needed some support to maintain her independence.  Henrietta and her Susan agreed it was time to get some outside help.

Anya, a neighbor’s daughter, offered her services. She was kind, patient, and seemed genuinely interested in Henrietta’s well-being. Susan was tempted by the idea of keeping care within the community, and Anya’s rates were less than the local home care agency. However, as they delved deeper into the details, they realized the hidden pitfalls of private hiring.

They realized that Anya had no formal training, and no one in her world to train her in Henrietta’s unique needs.  They also heard about a friend who had hired a private care giver who ended up having an unsavory past. Their friends had no idea they had exposed their loved one to risk, but Anya seemed so sweet!

One day, Susan was talking with her friend Jim, an attorney, about their thoughts regarding Henrietta. Jim warned Susan that if they decided to hire Anya, they would be her employer. They would be responsible for paying her employment taxes, and would be responsible for Worker’s Compensation if Anya got hurt caring for Henrietta. This was concerning.

The next week Susan called Anya to discuss things further. Anya answered but sounded terrible. She told Susan she was sick and couldn’t talk that day. Susan thought, what if I’d have been depending on her to provide care for mom? Who would have been there? I would have had to have taken time off work or away from my kids to go help mom.

Worried about the risks involved, the family decided to reach out to Leaves Personal Care. They were impressed by their prompt, personal and professional response.   Leaves had a thorough vetting process for their caregivers. Leaves offered training for their new caregivers and ongoing training for all their staff. Leaves had dozens of caregivers and was able to offer back up coverage if their assigned companion was ever sick or unavailable. Susan was so impressed by Jill, the scheduler and her confidence in their care companions. Susan felt relieved when she learned Sam, Deborah and Karen would handle all the administrative tasks, including payroll and insurance, leaving Susan with peace of mind and able to think about just being a daughter to Henrietta, not a business administrator.

It was true that Leaves’ rates were higher than Anya’s, but the family realized that the added peace of mind and protection were invaluable. They knew that with an agency, Henrietta would receive consistent, high-quality care, and they would be shielded from any potential legal or financial pitfalls.

In the end, the family chose to hire a caregiver through Leaves. They were grateful for their decision when Henrietta experienced a health scare and the Leaves caregiver was able to call the Leaves’ on-call nurse to get advice and direction. The family knew that they had made the right choice for Henrietta’s well-being and their own peace of mind.