How to Choose a Home Care Agency

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?

Read more:Assisted Living vs. Home Care: What’s the Difference?

Is home care the right fit?

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.

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.

Home care questions? Get expert help

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.