Questions to ask a home care agency

Most families compare providers on hourly rate, which is close to the least useful basis for the decision. Rates across the Wasatch Front barely vary.

What varies is reliability, consistency of caregiver, and what happens when something goes wrong at an inconvenient hour. These questions get at that.

About the caregivers

• Are caregivers your employees or independent contractors?
• Who carries liability insurance and workers' compensation?
• What background checks do you run, and how recently?
• What training is required before someone does personal care or transfers?
• Will we have the same caregiver each visit?
• What happens when our caregiver is sick or on holiday?

About the money

Get these in writing. Verbal quotes have a way of not surviving the first invoice.

• What is the minimum visit length?
• Are weekend, evening and holiday rates different?
• Is mileage charged for errands and appointments?
• How much notice is needed to cancel without a charge?
• Is there a deposit or a minimum weekly commitment?
• How and when are you invoiced?

About what happens when things go wrong

This is the section most families skip and later wish they had not.

• Who do we call at 2am, and will a person answer?
• What is your process if a caregiver does not show up?
• How do you handle a personality mismatch?
• How are concerns escalated, and to whom?
• How often is the care plan reviewed?

The employee versus contractor question

It matters more than it sounds. If caregivers are employees, the agency handles payroll taxes, insurance and workers' compensation. If they are contractors, some of that exposure can land on the family, particularly if someone is injured in your home.

It is a reasonable question to ask directly, and a straight answer is a good sign in itself.

Warning signs

• Reluctance to put rates in writing
• No clear answer on after-hours contact
• Pressure to sign quickly, or a long minimum commitment
• Vagueness about caregiver consistency
• No care plan, or one you never see
• Nobody visits the home before care starts

Where we help

We arrange this across the Wasatch Front, from Ogden and Layton in the north through Salt Lake County and down to Provo, Orem and Springville. Pick your city from the service areas menu for local detail, costs and who pays.