14 Questions to Ask When Choosing A Home Care Provider

When selecting a home care provider, you want the ideal mix of expertise, affordability, protection and of course… genuinely caring people. You’re making decisions that can impact the health and happiness of the ones you love! We’ve walked in your shoes and know the mixture of optimism and concern… and sometimes even fear or guilt… that can surface during this process.

That’s why, as we developed the plans, built the structure and hired staff for Sky Heart Home Care, we put these same priorities at the top of our list. To help ensure you’re informed as you enter this, possibly new, stage of life, here are key questions to ask as when choosing a home care provider for yourself or someone in your family.

1. Does the provider assign a supervisor to oversee care for each client?
2. How frequently is the supervisor in touch with each aide, sitter and/or client?
3. What forms of insurance are accepted? (Or, is Medicaid accepted, if you will need it)
4. What out of pocket costs should I expect?
5. What emergency protocols are in place? What response time can we expect from your supervisor in the event of an emergency?
6. What happens if you learn the client isn’t taking his/her medication or eating regularly, or appears ill?
7. What sort of backup is available? What happens if our primary aide can’t make it, or they or my family member comes down with COVID?
8. What sort of credentials will the staff have who stay with my family member?
9. What sort of background checks do you use in screening staff?
10. If your family member has a chronic condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory or similar, ask if the caregiver will have experience with that condition.
11. How do you confirm that the caregiver is working the reported amount?
12. What COVID protocols and equipment do you have in place?
13. What happens if my family member doesn’t get along well with the caregiver?
14. How many different caregivers can we expect will work with my family member?

Home care is a wonderful way to help family members enjoy the comfort of living in the home they love, surrounded by warm memories that nurture and support a rich quality of life. Asking the questions above can help you select a provider and caregiving team that will serve them well. We welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your family member.