Obviously every company you call will tell you that they provide the best home care, have the greatest caregivers and topnotch customer service. This may be true but one should do ones best to verify this before making any commitments. When speaking with the homecare company representative make sure to ask what kind of commitment is required. Can you start and end service at any time? How long does it take before they can someone out? If you need someone that day there is no point in speaking with a company that doesn’t have anyone available for a week.
There are many agencies providing private duty non medical home care.
When calling make certain to address the following questions:
The most important factor is who the caregiver is that will be looking after you or your relative.
One should be careful to ask how the company goes about hiring their caregivers. How many years of experience is required? What licenses are required? How long do they have to be licensed for to be eligible for hire? What is the interview process? Are references given and are they checked? It goes without saying that criminal and background checks are run and the caregivers are bonded and insured. In homecare, compatibility is critical. The company should strive for continuity of care. No family wants a parade of different caregivers coming in to the house. Find out what happens if you don’t like the caregiver.
If possible one should visit the companies offices. One can get a very good idea of what kind of operation the company is running by this kind of visit. Can you personally interview the prospective caregiver- preferably at the companies office? Other questions that one should address is how long the company has been in business and how long they have been doing non medical private duty homecare.
Choosing the right company from the outset will make all the difference in how successful this new phase of life will be. Having a wonderful caregiver will make a difficult situation much much easier for the whole family not just the patient.