Self-Employed Caregiver

As you ponder how to become an independent caregiver or private in home care provider you might also be asking how to start a private home care business? The fact is, it is not as difficult as you might think. As long as you are motivated, caring, and ethical there is nothing that can stop you from creating a great caregiver service business and becoming a successful self-employed caregiver.

One of the first questions that people ask when they are considering starting a business of any kind is, “where do I start?” If you are going to become an independent caregiver or private home care provider your first order of business is to become a nationally certified caregiver with the American Caregiver Association, the national certifying and accrediting organization for caregivers. And, the largest caregiver certifying organization around the globe.

But why should you obtain caregiver certification? Because it does several things for you. First, when you are ready to start recruiting clients, one of the first questions that family will ask is whether or not you are a certified caregiver. A client, their family, or another person overseeing the care of a family member or friend, is likely to be skeptical about your qualifications and abilities to perform the duties required if you lack caregiver certification.

Secondly, when you are in the role of an independent caregiver, family, friends, and other loved ones want peace of mind knowing that whoever is caring for their loved one will be providing the best quality care that they deserve. This starts with the assurance that you are a nationally certified caregiver.

Third, without national caregiver certification you lack credibility, and a client or their family is unlikely to hire you. The fact is, there is an expectation that you have some training or education to do what you are doing. Otherwise, they would not be looking to hire you in the first place. So, do not put yourself in a negative position right off the start as an independent caregiver by failing to obtain national caregiver certification with the American Caregiver Association, the leader in certifying private home care providers.

Forth, your certification gains you entry into the National Caregiver Registry. The National Caregiver Registry is what prospective clients will check when wanting to verify your credentialing with the American Caregiver Association.

A key to your success as a private home care provider or independent caregiver is providing you with a series of Action Steps to guide you in achieving your goal of starting your own caregiver business and becoming a private home care provider. Action Steps are intended to get you both focused and motivated. This is where real life-changing value happens. Don’t sit back and expect things to just 'happen'. Make your time count on this earth. Without further ado, let us dig into the first of several Action Steps.

Action Step 1: Choose your caregiver certification bundle above (Caregiver Business Bundle or Platinum Plus Caregiver Certification Bundle)

Action Step 2: Get CPR and First Aide Certification either through the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. CPR and First Aide certification typically costs between $50-$70. You will need to check on the going rates are in your area.

Action Step 3: Get a tuberculosis, or TB test. You should be able to obtain a TB test from your primary care physician for somewhere between $20-$30.

The good news with these costs is that you should be able to deduct them as business expenses, but as always, check with your accountant or tax preparer to make sure that these costs can be deducted.

Here (see below) is a short list of some of the typical services that you will be providing as a independent caregiver. Please note that whatever services that you decide to offer as a non-medical caregiver be sure to have these listed in your portfolio, a topic that we will discuss below.

Assisting with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) including, but not limited to the following:

Before you go off and start a website, you are going to need a domain name first. A domain name is simply a business name for your website, like “www.kathyscaregiverservices.com.” Domain names are cheap to buy, and they are not difficult to integrate with your website.

Once you have purchased your domain name, then you need to buy and build your website. It doesn’t make any sense to buy a domain name, then not put it to use. After you have purchased your domain name and start to build your website you will need to consider what content you will want on your website. Here is a short list of things that you will want to have on your website:

Be sure to add a link back to our website (www.americancaregiverassociation.org) from your website, as clients will want to know where you were certified, and may want to verify your independent caregiver credentialing with us in the National Caregiver Registry, as well as your DBA (Doing Business As) membership which is included in both the Caregiver Business Bundle and the Platinum Plus Caregiver Certification Bundle.

This brings us to your next three Action Steps

Action Step 4: Decide how much you want to charge your clients

Action Step 5: Decide what caregiver services you will provide

Action Step 6: Buy your domain name and build a website for your caregiver business