Our Rosemary McClure has this poignant piece in the Los Angeles Times about the difficulties in finding reliable - and safe - caregivers for aging parents who need help. From her story:
During the 10 years I employed caregivers — first for my mom, then for my dad — I rarely used agencies. For the most part, I did my own hiring. Two of the 10 or so workers I hired were wonderful, selfless people who remained friends long after their employment ended.
But I made some major mistakes. One worker stole, one tried to convert my parents to her religion and one quit after one day on the job.
One night after work, I parked my car in the driveway and found the front door standing open and my mother wandering outside. I never found out when the worker had left or how long the door had been open; the worker never returned.
I attribute my mistakes to doing a bad job as an employer. I never followed [the advice of Claudia Ellano-Ota, director of the Caregiver Resource Center of Orange County].... I didn't write a job description, nor did I discuss rules with potential workers.
I also ignored another one of her key recommendations: Demand two references, and check both carefully. Most of the people I hired showed up with a letter from one reference; I always called that person. But I didn't look any further.
"People try to fly by the seat of their pants when they hire help for their parents," said Ellano-Ota. "That's dangerous."
I can testify to that.
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