Offers Information and Resources on How to Find and Employ a Home Health Care Aide or Companion

Westport, CT – December 11, 2007 – The MetLife Mature Market Institute has updated its Since You Care guide, Hiring an Independent Caregiver. The publication, free to the public, has a great deal of information on how families can find and employ a home health care aide or companion without securing an agency. The guide was written and produced in conjunction with MetLife’s Nurse Care Managers and the National Alliance for Caregiving.

The 12–page booklet includes sample employment ads to be placed in local newspapers, a suggested contract, interviewing tips, a resource guide and more.

Independent caregivers may be a great help to many of the 44 million Americans who spend time caring for a loved one who can no longer perform activities of daily living. Their presence may allow an older person to remain in his or her own home rather than needing to move to a facility to receive care. Independent caregivers are usually less expensive than those hired through agencies.

"Finding the right caregiver can be a tremendous help to families, but the selection process may be daunting," said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. "Hiring a person independently means being an employer and carries with it the responsibility of choosing the right individual for the job, placing trust in that person and setting terms of employment.

"There are many variables, including a list of responsibilities, work hours, salary, transportation and even policies for the household, such as smoking or language guidelines," said Timmermann.

The guide contains details for finding and maintaining the employer/employee relationship with a caregiver and highlights the following areas of direction:

• Locating a Caregiver
• The Interview
• Screening/Background Checks
• Hiring Guidelines
• Helpful Hints
• Resources

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving is a nonprofit coalition of national organizations that focuses on issues of family caregiving across the life span. The Alliance was created to conduct research, do policy analysis, develop national programs and increase public awareness of family caregiving issues.

Staffed by gerontologists, The MetLife Mature Market Institute, part of the company’s Retirement Strategies Group, has been providing research, knowledge management, education, and policy support for over ten years to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, its corporate customers, and business partners. MetLife is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), a leading provider of insurance and financial services to individual and institutional customers.

To obtain a free copy of the Since You Care guide, Hiring an Independent Caregiver, call (203) 221-6580, send an e-mail to maturemarketinstitute@metlife.com, or download it at www.maturemarketinstitute.com under ‘What’s New.’

For more on the MetLife Mature Market Institute, visit: www.maturemarketinstitute.com.