Six Questions You Must Ask a Home Care Agency Before Hiring!

While researching non medical home care agencies, be prepared with six essential questions you MUST ask a prospective agency before hiring them.

1. "Do you do background checks and are they National?" It needs to be a national background check instead of just a statewide check and it needs to encompass a check for elder abuse, sexual offenses, arrest records, DUI's, etc. In other words it needs to be thorough.

2. "What is your interviewing or hiring practice?" In our agency we see someone THREE separate times before hiring them. It is essential an agency have more than one look, encounter or interview with an applicant before sending them to your loved one's home.

3. "Does my loved one get to meet and approve of the caregiver before he or she starts?" A good quality home care agency is one that brings out the selected care giver and lets the client approve of the selection before service begins. It lets the senior know they have control over the situation-which they should! It is also good to have the two meet so they can "break the ice" before the first day of service.

4. "Can we stop service at any time without a penalty?" A home care agency should ask no more than a week's notice to end services. Of course if the client dies or goes into the hospital, this should be waived.

5. "Do you do drop in visits or have a Case Manager?" You want to hear that after you have signed on, the agency will continue to be available, accessible and interested in how things are going. We send out a Case Manager to touch base with our clients every few weeks and more often if there are any issues.

6. "Will you come out and do an Assessment at no charge and with no obligations?" A good home care agency should be willing to come out and sit and talk with the entire family at no charge. They understand this is the only way a family can compare different agencies and get a good feel for them. If a span of time passes between the initial assessment and when you actually are ready to start, they should come out and re do the Assessment to update any changes.

I hope this will serve as a guide when interviewing perspective home care agencies. Remember, do your homework early and if possible, establish a relationship with an agency well before your ready to start. Then, if an emergency happens, you are all set just to give them a call. You will be so happy you did!

Theanna L. Zika began Heavenly Helpers Senior Home Care in 2004 with a vision to "raise the bar" on the quality of existing home care for seniors. Heavenly Helpers is an independent, non medical home care agency proudly serving the St. Louis, Missouri Metro area. While our office is located in the heart of Webster Groves, we provide care throughout St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson County.

For more information, please visit us at heavenlyhelpers.net heavenlyhelpers.net/