Caregiver Screening
We carefully screen each candidate prior to employment:
- Conduct a personal interview to establish personality traits, work ethics, appearance, communication skills
- Require a digital fingerprint criminal background check for access through the state-wide database.
- Check the current eligibility on the Illinois Department of Public Health health care worker registry and web portal
- Checks of six (6) state and national criminal and sex offender registries
- Verification of past employment and education history
- Follow up on references, both professional and personal
- Check the Department of Motor Vehicles for a safe driving record
- Perform random drug testing on prospective and current employees
All potential caregivers are taken through an orientation of the agency’s policies and procedures and must have a thorough working knowledge of the IDPH Administrative Code for nursing assistants and home services workers.
Candidates undergo a “skills assessment” to identify training and/or hands-on experience in all areas of transfer, personal care and assistance with activities of daily living.
Candidates are also evaluated and asked to exhibit competency and display their level of capability with the following areas of elder care:
- Memory care (dementia/Alzheimer’s)
- Personal care techniques
- Transfers (assistive equipment: gait belt/hoyer or sit-to-stand lifts)
- Communication style / Listening skills (vision/hearing impaired)
- Basic hygiene and infection control (bloodborne pathogens/waste disposal)
- Wheelchair étiquette
- Maintaining a clean and healthy environment
- Safety (fall risk/emergency preparedness)
- HIPAA
- Abuse and neglect