George was attending a business meeting out of town. Checking his voicemail, he found he had a message from the local hospital where his mother lived. "Your mother fell at the post office and broke her wrist," the voice said. "We need you to come pick her up. Now." Being out of town, George called a friend and asked him to pick up his mother. At the emergency room, the friend was informed that George's mother would need someone to spend the night and drive her to the doctor in the morning. On top of that, she was medicated for the pain and was very wobbly. Now what was he going to do?

Unfortunately, scenarios like this play out far too frequently. People assume that hospitals will give them information on finding caregivers, but that doesn't always happen. Emergency rooms in particular just don't have the resources available to handle this level of discharge planning.

In the "good old days," one of the biggest issues we had to face as workers or employers was who would take care of the kids when they were home sick. As the workforce ages, so do their parents. And more and more, they are becoming responsible for their parents.

Just as expectant parents prepare for the birth of their child, adult children must prepare for the care of their parents. How should this be done? Start by talking with them. Find out what they would want if something should happen to them. Involve them while they are still able in the decisions related to their care. Once you've had the conversation, research options in your community. Again, involve your parents in this process. There are several ways to find information on caregivers. Start with the phone book; home care agencies are listed in the yellow pages. Most agencies have Web sites now and are accessible through the various search engines. Other options include contacting senior centers, churches or synagogues, or asking your physician. Once you have some agencies to call, you can start interviewing prospective caregivers.

Basically, there are three ways to hire a caregiver:

One is to find a private caregiver. This may be someone you heard about or found through the local ads. This is probably the least expensive of the three, as you will pay the caregiver directly. This is also the most difficult, however, as you will have to conduct all of the reference and background checking. In addition, you will have to supervise all of the care being provided. Not everyone is willing or able to do this.

The second way to find a caregiver is through a referral agency. The agency has a list of caregivers whom it matches with potential clients. They may or may not have done reference or background checks, and they do not supervise the caregiver. The aide is paid directly by the client, and in most cases, a percentage is paid to the referring agency by the caregiver.