Important: Take Steps Now to Make Sure Your Aide Can Travel During a Curfew

As cities across America put curfew orders in place to calm civil unrest, you’ll want to take immediate steps to ensure your private home health aide is not barred from traveling to and from work.

Under most curfew restrictions and depending on your local government orders, people are only permitted to travel for a very limited number of reasons -- such as essential work, medical needs, or emergencies. However, when a home health aide has been hired privately by a family or individual needing care at home, they typically do not have a means of showing proof of employment.

While there is no guarantee that an employment letter will assure your aide will be permitted to travel during evening or overnight restrictions, it is advisable to have your in-home care provider keep the following documents with them at all times:

• Government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
• Copy or photo of home care license or other certification, including Home Health Aide license, Nursing Aide or Assistant certificate, Patient Care Technician, and Medical Assistant license.
• Employment verification. It is unlikely you have ever had the need to provide a letter of employment to your private aide. To receive a copy of LeanOnWe’s employment letter template for private home aides, please click here. Download the letter and fill it out. Then, send it to your caregiver via text or email so they will have it on their phone at all times. Once that is done, it’s a good idea to hand them a hard copy or send a copy in the mail so they can keep that with them as well.

With protests, rioting, and looting expanding to hundreds of cities, states, and territories, officials from New York City's five boroughs to Atlantic City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago have put a variety of measures in place restricting the movement of residents. In New York's boroughs, for example, the curfew is currently from 11 pm to 5 am, but many other locations have a much longer time frame each night.

Be sure to check daily with local authorities where you live -- as well as where your private caregiver lives -- to try to make sure your care at home is not interrupted.