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Doing A
Background Check
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So, you've decided that paying agency rates for
a home caregiver is out of the question, and you
want to hire a caregiver independently. Many
people have done so very successfully. But if
you are wise you will certainly want to do a
background check on anyone you're considering.
All too often we hear stories about elderly
people being physically or financially abused.
You don't want to add your elder to the list.
Here are some tips and strategies for conducting
a background check when you're hiring a
caregiver independent of an agency.
Make a quick trip to your local stationery store
and buy a small package of standardized
"Application For Employment" Forms. Using these
forms gives you quick access to particular bits
of information because information will be
identically organized for each applicant you
interview. You'll be less likely to forget to
ask for important information if you use a
standardized form. Make sure that the form you
buy has a place for the applicant to sign a
release permitting you to contact their
references and perform a background history
check.
Meet with the applicant somewhere other than
your elder's home. You do not want to
give strangers the address of a senior who lives
alone or who is frail. This is asking for
potential trouble. Likewise, it is not a good
idea to invite a strange applicant into your own
home, where "casing the joint" could be the
actual objective. A coffee shop is good neutral
territory for interviewing. Aim for mid-morning
or mid-afternoon hours when they are less busy
and noisy.
If your elder is up to it and wants to, invite
him or her to participate. You can get a good
idea of how an applicant relates to older people
during this meeting if your elder is present.
After an initial brief introduction, ask your
applicant to complete the "Application For
Employment" form (make sure you bring along a
couple of extra pens, just in case). Asking an
applicant to complete an application form in
your presence will give you an opportunity to
assess the applicant's ability to read, write
and follow written instructions
― all important things to know before you
hire anyone. If there is space available, move
to another table so the applicant has some
breathing room while she completes the
application.
Make sure your applicant includes a minimum of
three references with contact information. At
least two of these references should be from
former employers. If the applicant says anything
along the lines of, "I can't give you references
or contact information because he died," then
immediately eliminate this candidate from
consideration.
Many pre-printed application forms don't have
space for an applicant to record previous
addresses. If yours does not, give your
applicant a second piece of paper and ask her to
write down all the cities and states where she
has lived for at least the past ten years. 15
years is even better.
Ask to see photo identification. Compare the
name, date of birth and address on the card with
what your applicant has printed on the
application form. A driver's license or passport
are obvious photo identifiers. Others might be a
non-driver Motor Vehicle Identification Card, a
Military Identification Card, an Immigration or
other government-issued card. Be sure to write
down the type of identification you saw and the
number on the card. If there is any doubt about
the applicant's citizenship, ask to see a "Green
Card" or other proof that the applicant is
eligible to work in the U.S.
If your applicant will be driving, collect
information about the make, model and license
number of the car she will be using, and the
name of her auto insurance carrier.
If it is important that your applicant know CPR,
ask to see a current card verifying that he or
she has been certified within the last year by
the Red Cross or another certifying agency.
Once you have completed your initial interview
and you have all the written information you
need to collect, inform your applicant that you
will be getting back to him or her at the
telephone number provided in a few days.
Call the employer references provided. All
employers should be able to confirm the dates
that the applicant worked (families may be a bit
less exact about dates). Large employers will
probably give you very little additional
information. Talking to an actual care
recipient's family will usually give you much
more and better information. You will also
usually get better results from telephoning a
family than you will from e-mailing. Many people
are rightfully hesitant to answer queries from
strangers in their email inboxes.
Information from "personal references" is
generally not informative, as these are usually
personal friends or relatives of the applicant.
You can get information about your applicant's
driving record from your state DMV. Some states
offer this information online.
Contact your applicant's automobile insurance
company and verify her automobile insurance
status. You might have to fax the authorization
your applicant signed to get this information.
If your applicant claims a professional license
or certification, such as "Certified Nurse Aid,"
you can verify a nursing or aid license online
in most states.
If your applicant has passed these initial
checks with flying colors you can use an
internet-based search service to further
research an individual's history. Make sure that
the service you select will do a check in every
state and county/municipality where your
applicant has lived. The most recent address is
clearly not sufficient unless you can confirm
that your applicant has lived at the same
address for at least ten years. Unfortunately,
not all the records you would like to see will
be available through a public online search
service. Some states restrict access to criminal
records to authorized agencies only.
If you would like to use the services of a
professional agency to do a thorough background
check on your most likely candidate, it's always
best to have a referral rather than choosing
from an online list or the phone book. You can
ask for a referral to an investigator from your
own HR department, your CPA, your attorney, or
from your local Chamber of Commerce. A
professional background check will not be
inexpensive, so you will want to do as few of
these as possible. Cost will depend on where you
live and the depth of the investigation you are
requesting. However, the report you receive
should be much more thorough than anything you
can purchase online.
You will never want to stop being vigilant about
a caregiver in your elder's home. Even if your
caregiver has an unblemished background,
stellar reputation, and an admirable work
history, you will still want to drop in
unannounced from time to time. If you can't be
there, ask a friend or neighbor to drop in every
now and then. Make sure that when you visit you
get some time alone with your parent so he or
she can talk frankly without fear of being
overheard. And, of course, common sense says
don't tempt fate by leaving large sums of cash
or valuables lying around. |
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