There are many reasons to seek help from a companion care service when your loved one needs support at home.
The biggest one, of course, is that you simply can’t do it yourself. Maybe you live too far away. Maybe your work and family life take up too much time. Maybe you’re physically unable to provide all the help that a loved one needs.
Whatever the reason, you want to make sure that you’re making the right choice. The decision to bring a stranger into the home of a loved one may well be the most personal—and scariest—decision you make.
To help you choose wisely, here are some very important questions to ask.
Safety and security
- Is the company insured, bonded, and licensed by the state?
- Does the company perform comprehensive background checks, searching for sexual abuse and elder abuse history, verifying social security numbers, and checking national, state, and multi-county criminal records?
- Does the company check and verify work references for every caregiver candidate?
- Is every caregiver interviewed and background-checked prior to placement or assignment?
(Stay at Home answers “yes” to each of these questions.)
Reputation and service
- Is the company established and do they have a proven track record?
- Do you have access to the owner of the company?
- Do you have 24/7 access to company management?
- Does the company provide an agreed-upon, consistent rate structure that does not vary by duties performed or time of day?
(Stay at Home answers “yes” to each of these questions.)
Relationships and environment
- Does the company perform a client home evaluation prior to placement of the caregiver?
- Is a detailed client assessment performed during the home evaluation which addresses the client’s specific needs and any safety concern?
- Is the caregiver personally introduced to the client prior to their first visit?
- Does the company have a formal process to ensure a good personality match between the client and the caregiver?
- Does the company stress the importance of one-on-one relationships between the client and caregiver (i.e., do they avoid random caregiver substitutions)?
- Does the company routinely follow up with the client and their family members to ensure the client/caregiver relationship is working well?
(Stay at Home answers “yes” to each of these questions.)
We bring up these questions not only because you need to know the answers (you do!), but also because they make us look good. The more you know about Stay at Home, the more you’ll realize that Stay at Home caregivers are the kind of caregivers you want helping your loved one.