Caregiver for your parents: how to verify before you hire

When parents grow old, family members often cannot be there all day. A caregiver or attendant steps in to help with medicines, meals, mobility and company. It is a role built on trust, and it is also one where a person may be vulnerable and unable to complain. That is why checking before you hire matters.

Why this role needs extra care

• Elderly people may have memory problems, poor hearing or difficulty speaking up.
• The caregiver often has access to medicines, cash, jewellery and documents.
• Some people claim medical skills they do not have.
• Families living in another city cannot easily watch what happens day to day.

Checks before you hire

1. Identity: ID matched to the person, not only a photocopy.
2. Home address and family contact: where they live and who can be reached in an emergency.
3. Experience: what care they have given, for how long and for whom.
4. References: call the previous family yourself and ask specific questions about reliability and conduct.
5. Skills and certifications: if they claim nursing skills, ask what training they have and test with a practical conversation.
6. Health: basic honesty about any illness that could be passed on.
7. Court record check with consent, for roles of high trust.
8. A recorded statement in their own words.

Matching the person to the parent

Experience in one type of care does not fit all. A caregiver for a person with dementia needs different skills from one for a person recovering from surgery. Ask how they would handle your parent's needs in particular.

After they start

• Begin with a trial period and check in often.
• Ask your parent, gently, how they feel with the caregiver.
• Keep medicines and valuables secure and keep a record of cash handled.
• Speak with neighbours or visiting relatives about what they notice.
• Have a backup plan if the caregiver is absent.

How Praman helps

Praman by SatyaSakshi lets a family or agency verify a caregiver in a short WhatsApp video call. The caregiver shows their ID, completes a face match and answers questions on experience, address and previous employers. Live location and time are saved, and a court record check can be added with their consent. A reviewer checks the call, and the report appears in your app. Placement agencies can use the same checks for every caregiver before they are sent to a home.

Frequently asked questions

Related: how Praman handles this for businesses · all instant checks

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