Choosing a Homecare Agency with Confidence

Choosing a Homecare Agency with Confidence

Make no mistake, choosing the right homecare provider is one decision that requires your full attention as well as your very best research efforts. You need good information and you may need it in a hurry. Not only will a homecare provider be taking care of Mom and/or Dad, but they will be in their home, having access to their life, their health, and their possessions. The purpose of this article is to provide you with the ultimate checklist for this very task. This has been crafted by a seasoned homecare business owner and credentialed senior care professional who has worked in the trenches of a homecare business and who has earned the award for "Best of Homecare" for successive years. Use this list to find the agency in your loved one's area that can satisfy every single one of these criteria.
Here are the bottom line questions to ask when choosing a high quality home care agency:
• Are they owned and operated by licensed professionals who fully understand your needs?
• How long have they been in business?
• Are they licensed, bonded, and insured?
• Do they hire only experienced caregivers?
• Are their caregivers employed or subcontracted by them?
• Are they paid "under the table"?
• Is there an extensive reference and national background check conducted on new caregivers?
• Do they continuously and systematically monitor their caregivers?
• Do they provide supplemental care in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities?
• Do they offer a full line of services, such as hygiene assistance, meal preparation, diet and hydration monitoring, light housekeeping, transportation to appointments, errands and shopping, and joyful companionship?
• Are their services customizable in terms of schedule and services to best fit your particular needs?
• Does the agency provide 24/7/365 live phone access to a case manager in case of emergencies?
• What training do they provide/require of their caregivers?
• Do they check professional and personal references?
• Do they use a computer profiling testing to screen for honesty, deception, work style, leadership, lifestyle, drive, motivation, intellect, and demeanor?
• Are they registered with the Better Business Bureau?
• Are their services customizable allowing you to scale up or down hours based on needs?
• What is their minimum hourly requirement?
• Do they offer free home assessment?
• Do they offer free home assessment AFTER BUSINESS HOURS and ON WEEKENDS to accommodate the family?
• Do they offer home safety inspections?
• Are they willing to go to Skilled Nursing Assessments to meet with clients prior to discharge?
• Does the agency provide and require on-going classroom style education to their caregivers or is their training delivered via DVDs?
• How much training, and on what topics?
• Does your agency have a third party company to systematically place random calls to clients doing quality checks?
• Does your agency have a third party company systematically place calls to its staff to ensure they too are happy and fulfilled with their employment anonymously and offer feedback?
• Does your agency use technology to have up-to-date recordings of care plan tasks and status changes reported to case managers daily?
• Does your agency have an on-line family portal to view schedules, review invoices, and see what tasks & activities happened with Mom and/or Dad each day?
Your family will sleep better at night as they move forward with confidence in employing help at home for Mom and/or Dad with these tough questions answered to your satisfaction. We hope this checklist will be a practical guide at a time of great need for your family. Visiting Angels is America's Choice in Homecare. For more information, visit www.visitingangels.com/auburn.