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How to Choose a Home Care Agency

4 minute readLast updated October 4, 2024
Written by Kevin Ryan
fact checkedby
Marlena Gates
Reviewed by Michael Ferraina, home health care executiveMichael Ferraina has 15+ years of home health care industry experience and focuses on growth strategies, business development, and team mentoring.
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Choosing a home care agency involves determining your family’s specific needs, meeting with providers to ask questions, and selecting the best match for your family. Home care agencies provide flexibility for families and personal care services, like assistance with activities of daily living, companionship, and transportation. While choosing the right home care agency can be challenging, following these steps as you search can help ease your decision.

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Key Takeaways

  1. Determine your loved one’s needs before meeting with home care agencies so you can ask questions specific to your family’s situation.
  2. Home care agencies should be flexible, tailoring schedules and care services to your loved one’s unique needs.
  3. Set up meetings with home care agency representatives to ask questions about their company, caregivers, specific services, and costs.
  4. Take time to review your options after meeting with agencies to determine which agency will provide the best care that fits your family.

1. Determine your loved one's and your family's needs

Before exploring home care agencies, it’s important to know what you need. To help determine the type and frequency of care your loved one needs, consider the following questions:

  • Does your loved one need assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing or dressing?
  • Do you worry about your loved one being out alone?
  • Is your loved one independent, but living alone? Would they benefit from companionship?
  • Does your loved one require mobility assistance or transportation?
  • Is your loved one living with dementia? Do they need supervision or reminders?
  • Is your loved one recovering from an illness or injury and in need of medical care?
  • How much time are family caregivers able to support their loved one’s needs?
  • How do the costs of in-home care fit into your family’s budget?

Is home care the right fit?

Let our free assessment guide you to the best senior living options, tailored to your needs.

2. Evaluate home care agencies

You may find it helpful to speak with a number of home care agencies to learn more about the services they offer, their company culture, and their caregivers. Home care agencies should be willing to tailor their services to your loved one’s care needs.

The following tips will help you evaluate home care agencies:

  • Call home care agencies. Calling a home care agency can be very revealing, explains Lori Eberly, a consultant for A Place for Mom and a former owner-operator of a home care franchise. If a home care agency is difficult to reach as a prospective client, you may question how challenging it will be to maintain regular communication with them as a client.
  • Prepare a list of questions. When you meet with a potential home care provider, bring questions to help guide your conversation. If possible, include your loved one and encourage them to ask their own questions.
  • Clarify cost information. Home care agencies typically charge by the hour. However, those rates can change depending on the services and the time of day they’re provided. For example, the rate for assistance with personal care tasks may be higher than help with laundry or cleaning. Also, rates may be different for services provided outside a normal nine to five workday.

3. Work with your loved one to choose a home care agency

After meeting with home care agencies, take time to reflect on what you’ve learned. Discuss the options with your loved one, allowing them to share their likes and dislikes. Eberly suggests reviewing the following questions, observations, and instincts from the meetings with the home care agencies:

  • Did someone answer when I called or did I need to leave a message?
  • Was the staff genuine and thoughtful?
  • Did staff listen to your concerns and offer ideas for solutions?
  • Go with your gut. If something didn’t feel right, the home care provider may not be the right fit for your family.
  • Be wary of agencies promising perfection as it may signal other issues.

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Assistance finding a home care agency

It can feel overwhelming and emotional to navigate the home care agency search. However, you’re not alone in this process. The Senior Living Advisors at A Place for Mom understand your desire to find a home care agency that fits your or your loved one’s distinct situation. They can help you locate suitable home care providers in your area, all at no cost to you.

Families also ask

Caregivers provide care for older adults who require support. For example, an in-home caregiver may help a senior with tasks like bathing or meal preparation. A caretaker is generally responsible for the upkeep or maintenance of a home or property.

Home care agencies typically bill by the hour. Most families pay for services out of pocket using resources like savings, veterans benefits, and private insurance. In some cases,  Medicare or Medicaid may pay for nonmedical home care services when a senior also receives home health care.

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  1. Eberly, L. (2022, August 30). Personal communication. [Personal interview].

Written by
Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan is a content specialist at A Place for Mom, focused on home care topics that include defining the differences between home care and other senior care types, home care costs, and how to pay. Kevin’s desire to support seniors and their families stems from his previous career as a teacher, plus his experience as a writer and community journalist.
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Edited by
Marlena Gates
Marlena Gates is a senior editor at A Place for Mom, where she's written or edited hundreds of articles covering senior care topics, including memory care, skilled nursing, and mental health. Earlier in her career, she worked as a nursing assistant in a residential care home for children suffering from severe traumatic brain injuries. Marlena holds a master's degree in nonfiction writing, plus a degree from the University of California, Davis, where she studied psychobiology and medical anthropology. While there, she worked as a research assistant in the psychobiology department.
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Michael Ferraina has 15+ years of home health care industry experience and focuses on growth strategies, business development, and team mentoring.
Read more
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