In-Home Care: Protecting Yourself as a Consumer

Downloadable Tools and Tips:

Click the links to view or download these pdfs.

Risks of Independent Hires or Using a Registry for Home Care: If you hire a caregiver independently or through a registry, beware of the consequences. You may be responsible for payroll taxes, work-related injuries, and other risks and liabilities
Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Home Care Agency Instead of Going Through a Registry or Independent Hire: Helpful list explaining the differences between a professional home care agency a registry, and an independent hire
Are You An Employer of a Caregiver? The Independent Hire Report gives 20 situations from the IRS to assist them in determining whether or not you are considered to be an employer of a caregiver.

Web Resources:

Click the links below to access resource Web sites to find out more about Quality In-home Care as a Consumer Protection Issue.

How to Choose a Home Care Provider
Checklist from the National Association for Home Care provides questions to ask to assist in selecting the best home care provider.

Hiring a Caregiver Can Be Taxing
Article available on Kiplinger.com outlines various financial and legal risks possible when people decide to hire care providers for loved ones themselves.

Safe at Home? Research Report
The AARP’s Public Policy Institute issued a report focusing on federal and state approaches to background check screening of home care workers to protect vulnerable adults from harm. The full and brief reports are available to download.

National Center on Elder Abuse
The NCEA site offers fact sheets, statistics, news, resources, frequently asked questions, reporting numbers and more important information regarding elder abuse.

Do You Have a Household Employee? Independent Contractor Information
The IRS provides detailed information about legally employing an independent contractor to work within a home setting.

Hiring a Caregiver for In-Home Help
Caring.com provides some applicable strategies and helpful hints for finding the right person or service to care for loved ones in their homes.

Choosing In-Home Care
Parentgiving.com offers useful advice for weighing available in-home care options in this informative article.

Neglect of Older Persons: An Introduction to Legal Issues Related to Caregiver Duty and Liability
An introduction to legal issues related to liability for neglect of older persons, the goal of this downloadable PDF is to provide information on the duty and liability of caregivers, courtesy of the National Center on Elder Abuse.