Caregiver Interview Questions for Families: Hiring Checklist

Before the interview: write down what the job is

You cannot judge answers until you know what you need. Spend twenty minutes on a one-page job description:

• Your relative's needs. Diagnoses that affect daily life (dementia, Parkinson's, stroke, diabetes), mobility, continence, diet, hearing and sight.
• The tasks. Split them into company and supervision, household tasks, and hands-on personal care; the line between these matters for pay rules (see companion care vs. personal care).
• The schedule. Days, start and end times, nights, and whether you need one person or a team (see live-in vs. 24-hour care).
• The deal-breakers. Driving, lifting, pets, smoking, language, and anything your relative will not accept.

Invite your relative to join at least part of the interview if they are able. How a candidate speaks to them tells you more than any answer.

Questions about experience with your relative’s needs

Ask for examples, not opinions. "Have you worked with dementia?" invites a yes; "Tell me about the last person with dementia you cared for" invites evidence.

• Describe someone you cared for whose needs were close to my mother's. What did a normal shift involve?
• What was the hardest day with that person, and what did you do?
• How have you helped someone who resisted bathing or changing clothes?
• Have you used a hoist, transfer belt, shower chair or hospital bed? Which ones?
• Have you cared for someone at the end of life, or with a hospice team?
• What signs make you call the family straight away, and what can wait for the end of the shift?
• How do you keep someone with memory loss oriented without arguing?

Listen for detail: names of equipment, the order of a morning routine, how they kept the person's dignity. Vague answers to specific questions are a reason to probe further.

Availability, reliability and backup

Private caregivers have no agency behind them to send a substitute, so reliability questions carry weight.

• Which days and hours can you commit to for the next six months? Do you have other clients or a second job?
• How far do you live from us, and how do you get to work? What happens if your car breaks down?
• In your last job, how many shifts did you miss in a year, and why?
• If you are sick, how much notice will you give, and how?
• Do you know another caregiver who could cover for you, and would you introduce them before we need them?
• How much notice will you give if you decide to leave?

Skills and qualifications, and how to verify them

Ask what training and certificates the candidate holds, then check what can be checked. Write down the full name exactly as it appears on each document.

• Nurse aide (CNA) status. Federal rules require every state to keep a registry of nurse aides that the public can use. It must show when each person became eligible, and any state finding of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property, together with the aide's own statement disputing it if they made one. Entries are removed after 24 consecutive months without nursing work, unless there is a finding (42 CFR 483.156). An expired listing is therefore not proof of wrongdoing; ask about it.
• Home care aide registration (California). The Department of Social Services Home Care Aide Registry can be searched by first name, last name and PER ID. Applicants complete a criminal background check run by CDSS before registration, and registration lasts two years. Registration is required for aides employed by licensed home care organizations; CDSS suggests asking for the PER ID and the name as registered so you can search it.
• Agency license (California). If the person comes through an agency, ask for the Home Care Organization license number and look it up with CDSS.
• Sex offender registries. The Department of Justice's National Sex Offender Public Website searches the public registries of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Indian Country in one place.
• A background check. If you buy one from a background screening company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies. You must tell the candidate in writing, in a stand-alone notice, that you may use the report for the hiring decision, and get their written permission. If the report leads you not to hire, you must first give them a copy of the report and "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act", then tell them of your decision. Dispose of reports securely afterwards (EEOC and FTC guidance).
• CPR and first aid. Ask to see the card and its expiry date.

CaregiverConnect does not run background checks or vet caregivers. A caregiver may upload proof of a check, which the team reviews before showing a badge; verify independently all the same. More on safety: safety on CaregiverConnect.

Duties they can and cannot do: non-medical and licensed tasks

Agree the boundaries in the interview, so nobody is surprised later.

• Which of these tasks are you comfortable doing: bathing, toileting, continence care, dressing, transfers, meals, housekeeping, laundry, driving, medication reminders?
• Is there anything on our list you will not do?
• What would you do if my father asked you to give him a medication outside the schedule?
• Have you ever been asked to do something you thought needed a nurse? What did you say?

Use the federal test: if a task is normally done by nurses or certified nursing assistants and normally needs their training, it counts as medically related, no matter what title the caregiver uses (29 CFR 552.6). Ask your relative's doctor which tasks in your plan fall in that group, and arrange skilled care for them; Medicare covers part-time skilled home health for people who qualify (Medicare.gov). CDSS warns that unlicensed caregivers, including private hires, may not have any training, so do not assume.

Pay, minimum shifts, transportation and cancellations

Talk money plainly at the first meeting. Ask the candidate to name their rate, then confirm the terms:

• What is your hourly rate? Is it different for nights, weekends, holidays or personal care?
• Do you have a minimum shift length? Many people cannot travel for a one-hour visit.
• If you drive my mother, whose car do you use? If yours, what mileage do you expect? (The IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents a mile for 1 July to 31 December 2026, a reference point you can use.)
• How much notice do you need if we cancel a shift, and do you charge for late cancellations? How much notice will you give us?
• How and how often do you want to be paid?

Know your own side too. If you control not only what work is done but how it is done, the IRS treats the caregiver as your household employee, even if you found them through an agency's list. In 2026 you owe Social Security and Medicare taxes once you pay one worker $3,000 or more in cash wages, at 6.2% and 1.45% each for you and the worker, and FUTA in any quarter in which household wages total $1,000 or more (IRS Publication 926). Federal law requires at least $7.25 an hour (29 U.S.C. 206); your state may require more, such as California's $16.90 from 1 January 2026 (DIR). For local figures, see caregiver costs by state and city.

Reference-check questions to ask by phone

Call at least two references, ideally families the candidate worked for directly. Confirm first who the reference is and how they know the candidate. Then ask:

• What dates did they work for you, which days and hours, and what did the job include?
• How did your relative feel about them? How did they speak to your relative?
• Were they on time? How many shifts did they miss, and how did they tell you?
• Tell me about a time something went wrong. What did they do?
• Did anything ever go missing, or did money ever come up in a way that worried you?
• Why did the arrangement end?
• Would you hire them again for the same family member? If you hesitate, why?

Note any hesitation before the last answer and ask about it. A reference who cannot recall basic facts may not be a former employer at all; ask how to reach them at a published number if in doubt.

The paid trial shift: what to watch

A trial shift is work, so pay for it. Under federal rules, hours worked include all the time an employee is required to be on duty or on the premises (29 CFR 552.101). Agree the date, hours and rate in writing beforehand. Be home for at least part of it, and watch for:

• Arrives on time, washes hands, and asks to see the care plan or your notes.
• Introduces themselves to your relative and explains each step before doing it.
• Follows the routine you described, and asks before changing it.
• Handles one hands-on task safely: a transfer, help in the bathroom, or a meal.
• Uses the phone only for breaks or emergencies.
• Leaves a short written or texted summary at the end.
• Your relative's reaction, asked privately afterwards.

Before a second trial, tell the candidate what went well and what you want done differently, and see whether they adjust.

Printable caregiver hiring checklist

Print this page or copy the list. Tick each item for every candidate.

• ☐ One-page job description written: needs, tasks, schedule, deal-breakers
• ☐ Relative present for at least part of the interview
• ☐ Example given of caring for someone with similar needs
• ☐ Equipment and transfer experience confirmed
• ☐ Days and hours they can commit to for six months
• ☐ Travel time and transport to work confirmed
• ☐ Sickness notice and backup caregiver discussed
• ☐ Notice period for leaving agreed
• ☐ Certificates seen; full name and number written down
• ☐ State nurse aide registry checked, if they hold a CNA
• ☐ Home Care Aide Registry checked (California), if registered
• ☐ National Sex Offender Public Website searched
• ☐ Background check: written notice and written permission first
• ☐ CPR and first aid card seen, with expiry date
• ☐ Tasks they will and will not do agreed
• ☐ Medically related tasks identified with the doctor and covered separately
• ☐ Hourly rate, night and weekend rates confirmed
• ☐ Minimum shift, mileage and cancellation terms agreed
• ☐ Pay day and method agreed
• ☐ Household employer taxes checked (IRS Publication 926 and your state)
• ☐ Two references called and notes kept
• ☐ Paid trial shift booked, with hours and pay in writing
• ☐ Relative asked privately how the trial went
• ☐ Written agreement signed before the regular schedule starts

After you choose

Turn what you agreed into a written agreement both of you sign, and start a weekly timesheet. For the agreement and your duties as an employer, read how to hire a private caregiver. If you have not met anyone yet, you can post a care need for free on CaregiverConnect; caregivers apply to you directly and you hire them yourself. If you are a caregiver preparing for a family interview, the guide written for you is caregiver interview preparation.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. eCFR, 42 CFR 483.156: Registry of nurse aides
2. CDSS, Home Care Aide Registry
3. CDSS, Fact Sheet: Licensed Versus Unlicensed Home Care Services (April 2022)
4. U.S. Department of Justice, Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
5. EEOC and FTC, Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know
6. eCFR, 29 CFR Part 552 (552.6 medically related services, 552.101 hours worked)
7. Medicare.gov, Home health services
8. IRS Publication 926 (2026), Household Employer’s Tax Guide
9. IRS, Standard mileage rates
10. 29 U.S.C. 206, federal minimum wage (govinfo)
11. California DIR, Minimum wage FAQ