Families comparing options for in-home dementia care in San Diego often want a consistent person at home rather than rotating staff. This page covers what to look for, the checks you can run yourself, and how free matching with video interviews works.
Why San Diego families hire a private dementia caregiver
Families in San Diego hire a private dementia caregiver when memory, thinking, and daily tasks become harder to manage at home and a familiar person would help more than occasional visits. The CDC describes dementia as a condition that affects memory, thinking, and the ability to carry out everyday activities. CDC: About Dementia
San Diego has a large older population living in ordinary households, not only in facilities. The U.S. Census ACS 5-Year Estimates report 196,289 San Diego residents aged 65 and over, 23,020 aged 85 and over, 46,031 senior households where someone 65 and over lives alone, and a median household income of $104,321. U.S. Census ACS data for San Diego
A private caregiver can keep routines in the person's own kitchen, neighborhood, and calendar. That is often the goal when a spouse, adult child, or neighbor is already stretching to cover nights, meals, and appointments.
What to look for first: dementia care experience
Look first for hands-on dementia care experience, not a general resume of errands, housekeeping, or hospital transport. Ask every candidate, including people you meet through friends, to describe real work with people who have dementia, how long those assignments lasted, and what a typical shift looked like.
Useful questions include how they slow down during personal care, how they respond when someone repeats a question or wants to go home, and how they keep a person occupied without arguing over facts. Ask what they would do if the person refused a shower, left a burner on, or became frightened after dark.
Listen for specific examples. A strong answer names the setting, the person's abilities, and what the caregiver actually did. A weak answer stays vague ("I am very patient") or talks only about cooking and driving.
You may still ask any caregiver or agency about licensing, training, and background checks as general due diligence. Those questions are yours to ask. They are not a substitute for hearing how someone has already supported people living with dementia.
Checks you can carry out yourself when hiring privately
When you hire a caregiver privately in San Diego, you can check references, arrange a background check, and put a written care agreement in place yourself. You are acting as the employer, so these steps belong to your family, not to a matching service.
Call at least two references who saw the caregiver with a person who had dementia. Ask what hours they covered, whether the caregiver showed up as scheduled, how they handled agitation or wandering, and whether the family would hire them again. Notes from a friend who never observed care are not a dementia reference.
Arrange a background check through a consumer reporting service you choose, and ask the candidate in writing for permission to run it. Review identity, work history, and any criminal records the report includes. Decide in advance what findings would stop a hire, and apply that standard the same way for every candidate.
Put the job in a written care agreement before the first paid shift. Include the schedule, which tasks are included (meals, bathing, toileting, medication reminders, transportation, overnight presence), pay rate, overtime, mileage, time off, who covers call-outs, house rules, and how either party can end the arrangement. Both of you should keep a signed copy.
Confirm who will handle payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and backup coverage if the caregiver is ill. Private hire gives you more control over who comes into the home. It also means you, not an agency, own those employer details.
How our free matching service works
Our free matching service sends 3 to 5 profiles of caregivers screened for dementia care experience within 48 hours, and you watch each caregiver's video interview before deciding whom to meet. The video interview is the proof: you see and hear how the caregiver talks about dementia work before you spend time on a live introduction.
Each profile is from a caregiver screened for dementia care experience. You review the videos first, then choose whom to meet. We do not assign someone to your home. You decide whether a person is a fit after you have watched the interview.
Matching is a way to see candidates quickly. It does not replace the family-run checks above. If you move forward with someone, you can still call references, arrange a background check, and sign a written care agreement.