If you are looking for home care for your loved one, whether through an agency, personal referrals, or especially through advertisements including free on-line ads, you should be sure to: 
Imagine this. A well credentialed caregiver shows up at a new client and is briefed at length by the previous caregiver, who is leaving. This new caregiver listens to everything without making any notes at all on this complex case. She is there, her first day, without the thought of keeping a notebook! I actually recommend....
When taking on any new home care case, don't forget to check expiration dates on all food as well as, of course, medicine. This point was also mentioned briefly in the earlier Disaster Preparedness post, however the discovery of some very old cans of food in an elderly client's cupboards suggest that this is worth highlighting.
There are certainly plenty of guides and checklists published on the internet and elsewhere for selecting a nursing home. Medicare has an on-line pamphlet, and also a checklist. Here are some of my own notes:
As we know, CNA's have continuing education (CE) requirements similar to those of other licensed professionals.
A famous writer supposedly said, "to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
So often, impressions of caregiver performance are subjective. As with any medical provider, a home caregiver's bedside manner is important. Just as with others providing treatment and care, however, we must not forget that actual, measured results do count.
I sometimes work for clients who have Long Term Care insurance policies. Often, these policies have dollar limits to payouts, rather than specific time limits.
The Wisconsin technical colleges have a series of 80 training videos online (Lessons 1 - 80) that can be useful for caregivers. The series is geared towards training aides in hospitals and the like, but the techniques and precautions apply to home care as well. 
By engaging a private caregiver, you can often get a highly qualified professional at affordable rates. With the latest developments in licensing, insurance, and on-line resources, you might consider using a licensed CNA.
A recent post by an elder care adviser: "Important point:With an agency- you have someone with money to sue if need be!"
Florida has three kinds of licensed or registered home care companies.
DNR, "do not resuscitate". As some politicians have put it, this subject is above my pay grade. Or is it?
Certified Nursing Assistant or Home Health Aide? Which is more appropriate? It depends.
US News & World Report's honor roll of nursing homes.
If it doesn't smell right, it probably isn't.
I recommend using the best cleansers and lotions you can get. These are often only available at medical supply stores or from online medical suppliers, and are usually expensive. I believe in being frugal, but this is one area where you don't want to save pennies.
This is a delicate subject.
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These pillows make good bolsters for the feet. Not under the ankle, but between the client's foot and the bed's footboard. The foot should be propped up to a normal position, at close to a right angle. Not straight out and unsupported for lengths of time.
We don't want to wait until a natural disaster is at our doorstep to think about getting ourselves prepared. Here in Florida hurricanes are a worry, but almost every part of the country has its own natural disaster threats.
Air conditioning and heating ducts are easy to overlook. When you are establishing a clean, safe environment for your clients, these should be professionally cleaned.
We all know that honey has many health benefits. I always use honey in tea instead of sugar.
I have traveled twice on trips by air ambulance. One was a lengthy trip that required a short refueling stop along the way.
Here we are talking about the concierge medical service companies that have been featured in magazines and newspapers.
My apologies for the graphic picture.
Don't forget to ask the doctor or physical therapist for the "range of motion" exercises that they prescribe for your client. Take your client through the routines, and keep to the schedule that the professional recommends.
If you are working for a hospital, the dress code is fairly simple. It's whatever you're told.
A useful guideline for addressing elderly clients is to assume that:
