Senior Caregiver Job Applicant Questions

Senior caregiving provides fulfilling work for individuals who are compassionate and dependable. Many opportunities exist as seniors often need just part-time care when family members are not able to check in during the week or when recovering from an illness or surgery. Some caregiving positions require certification as a nursing aide or home health aide and other positions simply require a caring personality. Senior home care agencies typically train caregivers for each assignment. Nursing homes and assisted living communities offer positions as activities director and nursing aides.

What questions should you ask to make sure the individual will be trustworthy and caring? Here is a list of suggested questions which are typically used by professional senior home care agencies when interviewing caregivers to join their care team.

1. What attracted you to entering the profession of senior caregiver?


2. Please share a story about an interaction you have had with a senior in your life, as a relative, friend, or caregiver.


3. Please walk me through your employment history and tell me what you liked the most and the least about each job.


4. What are your short-term and long-term goals for employment?


5. Based on your experiences with the elderly, what do you like most about spending time with seniors?


6. What do you think are a seniors greatest fears and concerns?


7. What do you think are the characteristics of a good caregiver?


8. Which of those characteristics do you feel you posses?


9. What skills do you feel you would need to improve upon or develop as a senior caregiver?


10. Do you have experience in providing personal assistance (bathing, toileting, feeding)?


11. How would you handle a situation where the senior does not want to cooperate? Example: the senior does not want to take their medications at the scheduled time.


12. How would you handle or behave in an emergency situation?


13. How would you begin to develop a friendly relationship with a new client on your first day?


14. Please let me know what medical conditions you have personal or professional experience in working with: Alzheimer's Disease/Memory Loss, Parkinson's disease, hip replacement, stroke, diabetes, cancer, M.S., others?

These questions have been developed by human resource professionals with years of experience and will achieve the goal of finding out the caregiver applicant's interest in performing care as an employee and their skills and dependability.

It is also important to perform background checks on potential caregivers.

Beware of any background check service that is offered for free or in tandem with a subscription service as a good background check will cost at least $15.00 for a one-time purchase by an individual.

This is because courts do require an entry fee, similar to how a nightclub charges, and it is important to also have computer records verified by a person in counties that do not keep their criminal databases updated daily.

Most background checks that are given for "free" are simply a name and social security number match. When hiring a caregiver, you may want to learn about the background check laws in your state. The best way to make sure you have all the necessary insurance protections and active management for a caregiver is to hire a professional senior home care agency which will provide worker's compensation insurance, professional liability insurance and a training and performance reviews for the caregiver.