Managing Caregiving Risk

There are three types of risk you will want to manage:

• Risk that a caregiver gets hurt assisting your loved one
• Risk that your loved one is hurt while being assisted
• And, risk of theft

General Steps

• The first step in minimizing all three of these is to work with an agency/registry that has been around a while and has good ratings/reviews with past clients. This is an indication that they have a successful track record with minimum issues.
• The next step is to understand the company’s caregiving vetting process (how many caregivers do they screen to get one quality caregiver. What do they look for? What are the background requirements-in Florida, all caregivers must pass a Level II nationwide background check coordinated by AHCA, the state agency responsible for overseeing all Agencies and Registries)?.

Risk of Caregiver Injury

• Ensure that the caregiver is the right match for the client (skill set, experience, physical strength, etc.). This is the number one way to minimize your risk.
• Ensure the living environment is safe for both the client and their caregiver.
• Determine if your Homeowners Insurance covers you when a caregiver is in your home. If not, does your insurance company offer a rider to extend coverage?
• Agency caregivers are direct employees so they will be covered by workers comp. That said, that does not preclude them from suing a client (only their direct employer) so the first three bullets noted above are most important.
• Registry caregivers can obtain Occupational Accident and Health insurance that works similar to worker’s comp and covers them if they get injured on the job. It is about $9 a week and most caregivers do not automatically carry it. They will obtain it if it is a client requirement, but they usually pass this cost onto the client each week.
• There are also liability releases that one can get the caregivers to sign. Typically, with these, the client and caregivers agree to release each other for all acts except Gross Negligence, the standard of care that would typically be applied anyway.

Risk of Client Injury

• Ensure that the caregiver is the right match for the client (skill set, experience, physical strength, etc.). This is the number one way to minimize your risk. Working with an agency/registry that will have the integrity to walk away from a prospect that is not a good fit for the caregivers they refer is a must.
• Agency caregivers should be covered by the agency’s liability insurance.
• Registry caregivers can obtain their own liability insurance. If this is a concern, it should be part of the service requirements.

Theft

• Not all agencies or registries carry this. You will want to ask.
• Since deductibles are often involved, you will want to work with a strong established company with a reputation for providing excellent care and the wherewithal to handle any gaps not covered by insurance.