When two caregivers both say they are trained, the word tells you almost nothing until you see the paper behind it. This guide gives you a way to ask for that paper from every candidate and compare the answers on equal terms. Keep the Sources page open if you want to check how we describe where each claim comes from.

Step 1: Ask for the record, not the label

  1. Ask each candidate or agency for the name of every training course they say they finished.
  2. Ask which organization issued each course and how the candidate can prove it was completed.
  3. Ask for copies or a verification path you can check yourself. A phone number on the paper is not verification by itself.

Write it down as you go:

Course name: ________________________
Organization that issued it: ________________________
Proof you hold or can check: yes / no
Candidate name: ________________________

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.

Step 2: Ask the same questions of every candidate

Use one list for all of them so the answers can be compared. Ask what each course covered, how long the candidate has been doing this kind of work, and whether they have done it in a home like yours. Listen for specific course names, a clear answer about what was covered, and a willingness to send proof. Be wary of answers that stay general, such as they know how to handle everything, or that depend on someone else who will be named later.

Step 3: Check what the paper cannot prove

A certificate shows that a course was finished. It does not show how the person handles a hard afternoon in your house. Ask the candidate this question and write the answer word for word:

What do you do when my parent refuses a task you were asked to do?

A useful answer names a step, such as stopping the task, offering a different one, and telling the family in writing. A weak answer says they just manage it.

Step 4: Keep medicine in its place

If a candidate lists medication training, check what the training actually permits in your arrangement. A hired or in-home non-medical caregiver may give medication reminders and pick up prescriptions as an errand. Medicine itself stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. A candidate who says they will hand out, administer, sort, or manage medicine is describing a role your arrangement does not give them. Write that down and move on.

Signs to walk away

  1. The candidate will not show or name any proof of training.
  2. Certificates have no issuer you can find or check.
  3. The answer to every training question is a general promise.
  4. The provider wants you to accept the training summary without seeing the paper.

Keep the paper you collected with the rest of your comparison. If you are still at the start, the Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring page sets out the order of the work.