Questions to Ask When Hiring a Caregiver

How to interview an in-home caregiver

When hiring a caregiver for your older adult, you’re looking for someone who will be a good fit with your older adult and the care situation in their home.

Use these interview questions as a guide for evaluating your job candidates. They'll help you find someone responsible, trustworthy, and compassionate.

You don’t have to ask all the questions, just choose the ones you feel are most important.

Interview questions

Experience

• What experience do you have caring for someone with [describe your older adult’s health conditions]?
• What experience do you have with [ask about specific skills they’ll need, such as:]
  • Bathing
  • Lifting or transfer from bed to wheelchair
  • Assistance with toileting
  • Dressing
  • Cooking
  • Cleaning
  • Driving

Training and certification

• Have you had formal caregiving training?
• Have you had CPR or first-aid training?
• What is your current health status – TB test, immunizations, etc?
• Can you provide documentation for all your training and health status?
• Are you licensed or bonded? If yes, please provide contact information so I can verify this.

References

• I like to do a background and credit check on strong candidates to make sure they’re responsible and trustworthy. Is there anything you’d like me to know before I run the check?
  • Please provide your full name, address, phone number, social security number, and current photo ID
• Where was your last job? How long were you there? Why did you leave?
• May we contact your past two employers? Please provide their contact information.

Job details

• What days and times are you available and how many hours are you looking for?
• Talk about your major house rules, for example:
  • We don’t allow smoking in or near the house.
  • Absolutely no guests are allowed.

Evaluate the personality fit

• Why are you interested in this type of work?
  • Look for someone who enjoys working with the elderly, or a caring, sociable, and nurturing person.
• My older adult sometimes gets cranky, says rude things, or refuses to do what they need to do. [If those examples don’t apply, describe things your older adult is likely to do.] Describe how you would handle situations like that.

Bottom line

The questions you choose to ask and the description of your older adult’s needs will tell caregivers what kind of work to expect.

Their answers will help you decide if they’re the type of trustworthy, dependable, or kind-hearted person you’d want caring for your older adult.

Recommended for you:

• Affordable Home Care: 8 Ways to Lower Senior Care Costs
• When They Say No: 8 Ways to Introduce In-Home Care for Seniors
• 3 Tips to Choose Between Assisted Living vs In-Home Care

By DailyCaring Editorial Team
Image: Elite Homecare Services

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About the Author

Connie Chow

Connie was a hands-on caregiver for her grandmother for 20 years. (Grandma made it to 101 years old!) She knows how challenging, overwhelming, and all-consuming caring for an older adult can be. She also knows how important support is — especially in the form of practical solutions, valuable resources, and self-care tips.