What to ask a caregiver in the interview

You're about to leave your dad or your mom with this person. An hour of questions now is worth more than six months of second-guessing later.

Before the interview

Be clear on three things, because they're the first things she'll ask about, and if you hesitate the conversation gets off on the wrong foot: what schedule you need (live-out or live-in), which tasks it includes (just companionship? personal hygiene? cooking? cleaning?) and how much you can pay.

About her experience

1. How long have you been caring for older adults?
2. Tell me about the last person you cared for: what was their day like?
3. Have you cared for someone with dementia or Alzheimer's? How did you handle it?
4. Have you ever had to help someone who can't walk or who falls? How did you do it?
5. Why did your last job end?

About the day-to-day

6. Are you comfortable giving medications on a fixed schedule?
7. Do you know how to check blood pressure and blood sugar?
8. Do you cook? Can you handle special diets — low-sodium, diabetic?
9. Do you help with personal hygiene and bathing?
10. What do you do if they refuse to bathe or eat?
11. How do you get here, and how long does it take you?

About emergencies

12. If they fall and they're conscious, what's the first thing you do?
13. If I don't answer my phone, who do you call?
14. Have you taken a first aid or CPR course?

This is the part that most quickly separates someone with real experience from someone who's winging it. Pay less attention to whether the answer is "right" and more to whether she's thought it through.

About the terms

15. Do you want to be employed on the books? (In Argentina, in-home care work in a private household has its own legal framework and can be formally registered.)
16. How much do you charge per hour or per month, and what does that include?
17. What happens if one day you can't come? Do you have someone who can fill in for you?
18. How would you prefer we let you know about things — text, phone call, a notebook?

Which documents to ask for

• DNI (national ID) and proof of address.
• Course certificates in in-home caregiving, if she has them.
• Professional license number (matrícula), if she says she's a nurse — and verify it; just seeing it isn't enough.
• Two references from previous families, with phone numbers. Call both of them. It's the step most people skip, and the one that tells you the most.

Three signs to watch for

1. Does she ask questions? Someone with real experience wants to know what the person is like, what they take, how they sleep. Someone who only asks about pay and hours doesn't.
2. How does she talk about the people she's cared for? By name and with affection, or as "the lady," "the old man."
3. How does your dad or mom react to her? Have them meet her before you decide. That reaction is worth more than any answer.