Home Care & Companions, Inc.

Caring - Honest - Reliable Eldercare
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HOME CARE CHECKLIST

Knowing how hard it is to find reliable, honest and professional home care, we developed this checklist to assist you in carefully screening potential agencies. As with other areas, "You get what you pay for" is also true in the home care industry.

When it comes to the care of your loved one at home, you want to be confident you have asked the right questions to find the highest quality of services and the right caregiver for your needs. We encourage you to carefully screen any potential caregiving agency.

My Needs  ·  Services  ·  Insurance  ·  Training  ·  Availability  ·  Costs

How Does the Company Meet My Needs?

 1) Do you have a nurse perform the initial assessment and what does that entail?
 2) Can your nurse provide additional medical/safety tips for in home care?
 3) Can I have visits be on my specified schedule?
 4) Can your caregiver take my blood pressure?
 5) Do you provide temporary and long term assistance?
 6) Can you review my medications with me during the assessment?
 7) Will I have the same staff person visit each time?
 8) What happens if I need different tasks done each week?
 9) How do I know I can trust your employees?
 10) Do your employees smoke?
 11) Will your employee call before arriving?
 12) Will your employee arrive on time and at the same time each visit?

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What Services Does the Company Provide?

 1) Can you assist with medications - ordering, setup, checking with my doctor?
 2) Can you help with a bath or shower?
 3) Can you assist with a trip to the doctor/store/post office?
 4) Does your staff help with transfers for a wheelchair-bound or bed-bound person?
 5) If I have a surgical wound that needs attention, how do you help with that?
 6) Does your company provide vital signs monitoring and medication review?
 7) If I need assistance with diabetic monitoring, can your caregiver do this?
 8) Do you help with stroke or surgery recovery exercises?
 9) Are your caregivers trained to help with support hose for heart conditions?
 10) Can you do shopping/errands for me?
 11) Can you help with cooking? Will they clean up afterward?
 12) Can you do housekeeping and laundry? Will it be done to my standards?
 13) Can you help with activities such as walking and assistance with a cane or walker?
 14) Is your nurse available for questions by phone regarding my care or medical status?

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What Insurance Coverage Does the Company Have?

 1) Do you have professional liability coverage?
 2) Do you have proof of liability coverage?
 3) If I need a ride to a doctor appointment or shopping, is there insurance coverage for that?
 4) Do you assist with billing my insurance company for home care?
 5) Are your employees bonded and insured?
 6) Do you require that your employees renew their state licenses, keeping them current?
 7) Do you do background checks on all staff?

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What is the Professional Training of Your Staff?

 1) What are the qualifications of the owners?
 2) What are the qualifications of the person who will do my initial assessment?
 3) Are the staff of this company trained in CPR and First Aid?
 4) How long have each of your staff been employed with this company?
 5) What ongoing training do you provide your staff?
 6) What are the qualifications of the person who will be my caregiver?
 7) Do your employees follow my requests for how things are to be done?

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Availability and Scheduling

 1) How soon could your visits start?
 2) Is assistance on a weekend available?
 3) Can you come more than once a week?
 4) How long are your visits?
 5) Can I reach you after regular business hours?

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Up Front Costs and Fee Schedule

 1) What is your initial registration fee?
 2) Do you charge for the initial assessment?
 3) Do you charge any other up front fees or administrative costs?
 4) Do you have a reassessment fee?
 5) What is your hourly rate for one person? For a couple?
 6) Do you charge mileage to and from my home?
 7) Do you charge for staff time to and from my home?
 8) What is the mileage charge for trips to the doctor or shopping?

 We are here to help seniors and their families find the resources they need. If we cannot assist you, we will do whatever we can to refer you to the resources you need to get the help you are looking for!

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