6 Important Questions To Ask Your Home Care Provider

When families decide to hire the services of home care providers, it’s because they want to ensure that their differently-abled or aging parents get the best care possible. However, finding a suitable home care provider isn’t always an easy process.

Since the work involves supporting loved ones personally, most people find it challenging to trust an external party with the responsibility. With the number of home care providers increasing every day, having a criterion to guide the hiring of home care services enables you to note red flags and identify the ideal caregiver to hire.

With such a criterion, you’re able to get basic information about care provider companies, the services they offer, and their commitment to providing quality care services to their clients.

If you need to hire the services of a home care provider to support an aging, sick, or disabled loved one, ask these five key questions to ensure you get a caregiver that meets your needs:

• Can I Evaluate Multiple Caregivers? 

Most local home care providers work with a handful of caregivers irrespective of the kind of care their clients require. As such, they tend to match clients with available caregivers instead of those that qualify most.

If you’re looking for a caregiver to support a family member dealing with a chronic illness like dementia, ask potential home care companies like memory care community to provide you with the credentials, resumes, and experience of their most qualified caregivers. Using these details, talk to different caregivers to identify who’s best suited for the job.

• How Quickly Can the Home Care Provider Replace a Caregiver? 

Although you get the most competent and reliable caregiver, they can encounter situations like emergencies, car troubles, or inclement weather that result in delays or absence. It’s essential to understand potential home care providers’ plans to replace caregivers to avoid getting inconvenience.

If you have a patient that can’t be left alone, asking this question gives you an idea of whether the home care services provider has a pool of qualified caregivers that can be redeployed to attend to you in case of an emergency.

• How Does the Home Care Provider Screen Caregivers? 

You need to find out how home care providers screen their caregivers before hiring one to know whether your loved ones will be safe under the care of home care workers. The majority of caregivers in-home care provider companies have Certified Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide licenses.

However, the screening that home care providers conduct on their caregivers should go beyond licensing. In addition to ascertaining their licensing qualifications, home care providers should perform background checks on caregivers, including talking to their references, checking their reviews and work history, and getting proof of insurances.

For instance, you can ask the home care provider how they evaluate prospective caregivers by finding out their ability to solve problems, their experiences in providing specific services, and their approach when a situation arises that may affect your loved one. By knowing how the provider assesses potential caregivers, you’ll get a sense of their ability to take care of your loved ones and ensure their safety at all times.

• How Do I Get Updates on Services That Caregivers Offer My Loved One? 

When you leave a loved one under the care of a home care professional, you need to stay connected with the caregiver regularly and get daily reports on the service offered to them. Asking this question lets you clarify how a home care provider will keep you updated on the caregiving services provided.

In most cases, home care providers develop a care plan complete with schedules and activities that guide the caregiver each week. They require caregivers to generate reports of the activities they’ve completed and changes in patient conditions. Some providers also need caregivers to call in and confirm reporting and departure times.

To ensure that you receive timely updates, opt for a home care provider that leverages technology to keep you connected with the caregiver, validate the time worked, and verify their arrival and departure time.

• Does The Home Care Provider Differentiate Pricing Of Care-Giving Services?  

This question is vital in gathering information about the pricing model that home care provider companies apply. By asking potential home care providers this question, you get an indication of whether the company can provide caregiving services to your loved one consistently. Caregiving services range from personal care to companion care and highly skilled care. However, most home care providers charge a flat rate irrespective of the service you sign for.

Ideally, the pricing of caregiving services should vary depending on the caregiver’s experience and the kind of services a client requires. But this isn’t always the case. This means experienced caregivers are underpaid, resulting in high turnover rates among home care provider companies. Home care providers end up with few qualified caregivers, an issue that can easily affect their ability to provide clients with uninterrupted caregiving services.

• What Is the Home Care Provider’s Customer Service Response Times During Emergencies?

Another question to ask your potential home care provider is how quickly they can respond to your needs during emergencies. There are some instances in which you may have to deal with a missing caregiver, a late caregiver, or even a sudden schedule change. Unfortunately, these situations can adversely impact your loved one’s health and well-being, especially if no one can attend to their needs and your ability to work and earn a living.

In such a case, it’s important to ask your home care provider what their customer service response time will be in an emergency. That way, you’ll know what to expect and how to handle unfortunate situations when they arise.

Final Thoughts 

Home care providers offer caregiving services that people who have aging, sick, or disabled family members need. To ensure their relatives are comfortable under the care of caregivers, you need to hire a qualified caregiver who connects well with the patient. The most effective way to do this is to ask your home care provider vital questions before hiring a caregiver. If you need to hire a caregiver for your loved one, ensure that you ask the five questions discussed above.