Choosing the Right Home Health Aide: Key Selection Criteria

Home health aides are medically trained and state licensed. They must not only be knowledgeable about health care, but also must be trustworthy, as they will have access to your home.

Specialization

• If you need someone to take care of a mentally disabled child, choose an aide with experience taking care of children or the mentally disabled, rather than someone who has specialized in elder care.

Experience

• Find out how long the aide has been in the health care field. Inexperienced aides are not necessarily bad, but if the patient care is complicated, an experienced aide may need less training.

Personality

• A home health aide should have a personality and manner you find acceptable. She will be spending a lot of time providing personal care services---incompatible personalities will not make for a happy patient or employee.

Background Check

• Reputable home health agencies should perform background checks on all employees, according to amarillo.com. Ask for references and call them, to verify the aide's experience and training.

Agency

• Choose a home health aide from a reputable agency, urges QualityCheck.org, a site that provides information on health care organizations.