A hired helper can only keep to a schedule that exists on paper. When the hours live in one person's memory, the first missed shift becomes an argument about what was said. Before anyone starts, put the working agreement in writing, whether you are hiring through an agency or directly.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

The lines to write down

  • Start and end times for each shift, and which days the helper is expected.
  • The tasks that are included, and the tasks that are not. Be exact. If medicine is involved, the helper may give reminders or pick up a prescription as an errand, and nothing beyond that. Medicine stays with the family, the doctor and the pharmacist.
  • How much notice either side must give to cancel or change a shift.
  • What happens when the helper is sick or cannot come. Who is called first, who covers, and whether the family has a backup name.
  • How hours are recorded, who signs the record, and where the copy is kept.
  • Who holds keys or an entry code, and how they come back when the work ends.

Compare the two kinds of paper

An agency packet and a direct hire agreement answer different questions. With an agency, check who is the employer of record, what the agency promises if a worker does not show, how replacements are arranged, and whether the agency carries insurance for its workers. With a direct hire, check the same items yourself and ask the helper what they expect to see in writing. In both cases, read the cancellation terms twice before you sign.

Some questions about pay records and household employment rules depend on where you live. Put them to a tax preparer or to the state agency that covers home care workers, and keep their answer with the agreement.

Keep the paper where you can find it

Put one copy in the binder you already use for your parent's records, and give a second copy to the sibling or backup person who might have to cover. The agreement only does its job if someone other than you can find it on a bad morning.

If you are in St. Louis, the Local Help for Caregivers in St. Louis page lists places to ask about the next step. The Sources page shows where the general points here come from.