Finding in-home care services or alternative living options for your parent or other loved one – whether it is assisted living, nursing home or personal care services at home – is one of the dilemmas caregivers face.  You can conduct an online Google or Bing search but how will you know if the options are the best choices – both in quality of care and cost?

Now there is a new breed of online service providers who will find your “soul mate” in terms of caring for your loved one.  Similar to relationship matchmaking services (think Match.com or OurTime.com for dating), you create a profile with specific details about what you and your loved one are looking for, view the options matched to your profile, coordinate a meeting or tour of the facility and hopefully fall in love.

What you need to know before starting your search for the perfect match is to look at this like a job interview and you are the hiring boss:

1. Create a detailed profile or job description – talk to your loved one about what you both need and be as specific as possible. Special meal preparation (e.g., your loved one is lactose intolerant), language issues (the care worker needs to be bi-lingual) or specialized services (such as for those with dementia) need to be considered.
2. Know your monthly budget.  In some instances, you may be able to negotiate on fees for in-home care services directly with the care worker but only if you know the going rates and your budget limits. You will also need to know the difference between personal care workers versus home health aides or licensed registered nurses – there are legal limitations to what unskilled workers can provide (such as medication or injections or changing dressings for bed sores).
3. Always ask for background checks and referrals and make sure you follow-up with previous employers. You want to know if the worker you are hiring was reliable and kind as well as skilled.
4. Check out the job candidates’ social media activity – it’s amazing what you can learn about someone from their Facebook, Twitter or other activities that may give you pause.

Keep in mind these types of online caregiver matchmaking services make their money in one of two ways: either you will pay a fee for their service or they are paid by the facility or service providers to make referrals. I am not making an argument one way is better than another. Each option has advantages and disadvantages and you must weigh cost versus value. I advise some professional guidance is always helpful so I do recommend you do not do it all on your own. If you do decide to skip the matchmaker services for in-home care such as those listed below, beware of Craig’s List or gray market workers that you can find word-of-mouth from other caregivers or through local community online classified ad listings.  After all, these workers will come into your home or the home of your loved one and watch over your most precious thing in life so saving a few pennies is not always the best plan.

Following is a rundown of some of these different senior care matchmaking services:

A Place for Mom.com – This service site allows you to put in your zip code and the type of senior living facility you are seeking to receive your matches. You can compare amenities and costs; and if you aren’t sure which type of facility you need, there is a toll-free number you can call to talk to a Senior Living Advisor. The advisor can then meet you to tour the facilities you want to see in person. The cost to caregivers is free since the list of 18,000 facilities pay to be listed as part of this service. Joan Lunden serves as their celebrity spokesperson after she used the service to find a facility for her mom who has dementia.

Care.com – This site offers a wide spectrum of in-home and facility care options for families including child care, senior care and pet care. It also offers services to employers and military/government organizations needing back-up care for its caregiving employees. You are asked to post a job description and provide a few details (such as your cost range), search for free and pay the health care worker or facility directly. Care conducts background checks and provides telephonic advisors for an additional subscription fee.

CareLinx.com – Offers an efficient and cost-effective way to find a personal care aide, also known as a personal care assistant. The matches are limited to personal care services such as meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders and companionship, also known as respite care. They do not provide skilled nursing care. Caregivers create a free profile for the care needed for their loved one, view online videos of the personal care worker selections, conduct a video chat interview with the home health aide or arrange to interview him/her in person and negotiate the fee. CareLinx manages the scheduling, billing and other necessary administrative tasks to make this a fully integrated service. And since the health care service is provided through an online virtual agency rather than a bricks and mortar location such as other health service agencies, ultimately the caregiver saves money because there are limited overhead costs.

Sherwin Sheik, CEO and founder of CareLinx, created the service after experiencing his family’s struggle with in-home care for his sister who has multiple sclerosis and his uncle who had ALS. He says, “Traditional home health agencies have a minimum number of hours or limited weekend services available. We have no set minimums. We fill the gap for families who are disenfranchised and need to match their loved one’s needs with the family budget.”

Sheik advises that a recent client was a caregiver in Phoenix who needed to find in-home care for her father in Los Angeles after his hospital discharge. She used CareLinx and will ultimately save about $10,000 over the next 12 months for the care service versus using a traditional agency.

CareScout.com – This is the same service that administers the AARP Caregiving Help and Advice from Genworth. Both an online and offline service, the database of local senior housing and home health care service options includes 90,000 entries across the country which caregivers can search free of charge. For a membership fee (or included in AARP membership where caregivers can access the information using a loved one’s AARP member ID), caregivers can receive the SmartMatch service, which matches your loved one’s care needs to specific providers in your loved one’s area. CareScout has created an extensively detailed database with care provider answers to more than 80 questions about its service including holiday and weekend rates and split shift offerings. CareScout uses this information to create its own rating system that caregivers can review. In addition, the services are also rated by the caregivers or loved ones receiving the care provided, so you get a second rating from actual users to help you make an informed decision.

CareScout also offers Care Advocates – its own network of professionals across the country who can conduct assessments and help caregivers put together a care plan for their loved one based on a variety of needs. Bob Bua, president of CareScout, a Genworth company, says, “I like to say we’re old-fashioned because we offer both the convenience and information at your fingertips of online caregiving services but we also offer the in-person, high-touch service so many caregivers need for peace of mind.”

Caring.com – This is the highest traffic online site dedicated just for caregivers, with a lot of great articles and information such as state-by-state senior driving laws and Medicare information. While the site’s main focus has been educational content and tools such as the Alzheimer’s Steps and Stages for care transitions planning for dementia caregivers, it also offers toll-free telephonic service to talk to a Caring Advisor who is a non-commissioned customer service professional who can help caregivers understand different care options. For instance, Caring has a senior care finder of more than 100,000 resources for in-home help, housing options and Elder Law attorneys – all with ratings by other caregivers who have used the services.

This story excerpted from Sherri Snelling’s book: A Cast of Caregivers – Celebrity Stories to Help You Prepare to Care (Balboa Press, division of Hay House Publishers).