How Does A Private Caregiver Handle a Sick Day?

One of the negative things I hear on the forums about hiring a private caregiver is, what do you do when you count on that person and they cannot come to work for one reason or another? Being a caregiver is not like other jobs were you can miss a day and the work will wait. People need you to be there. Many people use this as a reason to knock down the idea of private caregivers. I would like to share with you how things worked for me on one case I had two years ago.

The woman who hired me was a very smart successful business woman. She wanted to hire a private caregiver for her father in law (me) so he would have consistent care and could form a relationship with his caregiver. When hiring through an agency, having consistent caregivers is a real challenge because of the agencies high turn over rates. Plus the rates of the agencies are very high.

I was hired to work full time Monday - Friday and every other Saturday. However the daughter in law realized there would be times when I would need a day off or be sick and so she set up the best working arrangement I have ever seen. 

She hired an agency to be the back up. The agency director met with her so they would be familiar with the case. They then agreed to furnish caregivers for the weekend when I was off and also for any days I was ill or needed a personal day.

The arrangement worked like a charm. Although I missed only a couple of days during my time with them, it was nice to have the safety net the agency provided. Perhaps you are a private caregiver. What arrangement  has worked for you? How do you handle the times when you need a day off? I would love your input as we all learn and benefit from the exchange of information. Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

Until Next Time

Nancy