Have you realized lately that a loved one is not functioning as well as they used to? Home Care may be your best solution! While arranging to have some help in the home is not a complicated process, there are some things you want to consider when selecting a service provider. Here are a few questions you’ll want to ask when you call for assistance:
Home Care Workers – How are they screened?
- Does the agency use Fingerprint Background Checks or a computer system that relies on a national criminal history database? Fingerprinting is far superior.
- Does the agency require pre-employment drug testing?
- Does the agency assess their workers’ skill set to perform basic home care duties?
Home Care Workers – What protections are in place?
- Does the agency cover its employees with bonding insurance, liability insurance, and workers compensation insurance? What happens if a worker gets hurt at your house?
- Does the agency EMPLOY its workers or are they INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS? Agencies that employ its workers are paying all required federal & state payroll taxes, plus unemployment insurance; therefore, you have no liability other than the hourly rate. Contractors are responsible for paying their own taxes and may leave you, the client, with additional liability.
Home Care – The Management Team
- Is a manager available 24/7/365?
- Is there an office representative responsible for your case, a contact for you to call with questions, concerns, or other issues?
- How quickly can changes be made if your home care worker isn’t a good fit for your loved one?
- Does the agency have a system in place to measure client satisfaction?
This is in no way an exhaustive list of questions that you might ask of a home care provider; however, it will help get the conversation started. Having a list of tasks/needs that a home care worker should be able to perform is also a great tool to have in place when making your first call.
Covenant Caregivers, with its seasoned management team, would love to talk with you about your needs. We will walk you through the process and answer all your questions! Call us at 601-856-5660.