Q&A: “What are good tools for caregiver recruitment?”

Senior caregiving will be one of the fastest growing industries in the coming decade. Why? Because America’s seniors are living longer while needing care services for more of their senior years. Additionally, senior care services are moving to the home and with the new Affordable Care Act, there is a drive to reduce the need to be hospitalized over and over again for the same health issue.

What about the new laws?

While the new healthcare law has continued to be debated over and over again, one of the positive aspects of the law is what is called “accountability of care.” The new healthcare law says, “Hey Mr. Hospital, if you are going to discharge a patient from the hospital because you say they are well enough to go home, if they come back into the hospital in a few days or the next week, then maybe something is wrong with your patient care system, and, because of this, Medicare is no longer going to reimburse you at the higher hospital patient care rate.”

This means hospitals must now be more accountable for their senior care, or they won’t be paid as much. And the result is that the hospitals now actually care where you end up when you leave the hospital. That also means more hospitals really want to be sure there are quality senior caregiving services in place when a senior goes home.

Caregiver recruitment now has become a priority to enable agencies to always have quality caregivers as the seniors are discharged from the hospital.

Professional senior caregivers must meet certain requirements such as:

• Successfully pass criminal background check
• Professional caregiver training meeting state requirements
• Consistent work track record
• Personal or professional senior caregiving experience
• Interest in fulfilling employment assisting seniors

Online caregiver recruitment tools include producing a professional caregiver resume, obtaining a criminal background check and completing a basic caregiver training course for professional senior caregiving positions.

Senior care employment includes working for the following senior care companies:

• Assisted living communities
• Senior home care agencies
• Home health agencies (Medicare/Medicaid services)
• Nursing homes

What all is available and expected?

Part-time, full-time and “live-in” positions are available as some age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease require around-the-clock care. Live-in care does not mean that you actually move in and live with the client, but instead is a term to refer to the position requiring full household management where the caregiver will spend the night with the senior. Live-in caregivers go to the senior’s home for a few days in a row and earn a full week’s pay in just a few days.

Learn more about becoming a senior caregiver and apply to a professional senior care job in your area on Caregiverlist. Senior care companies subscribe to Caregiverlist’s recruitment platform to allow them to efficiently hire new caregivers each week in order to keep up with their staffing needs.

Caregiverlist.com is the nation’s online destination dedicated to connecting seniors with quality senior care choices. Caregiverlist.com helps seniors and their loved ones define care needs, understand the many caregiving options and costs and connect to senior home care agencies that meet Caregiverlist.com’s checklist of quality standards. Caregiverlist.com is also a leading caregiving career and recruitment resource. Visit www.Caregiverlist.com.