How to Choose a Home-Based Service Provider

Choosing the right service provider to care for you and/or your loved one is a critical decision. AgeWell's leadership team would like to support you in this decision making process by sharing some of the knowledge we have gained with our 70 plus years experience in the home care industry.

Home Care is a very fragmented industry with both exceptional and poor providers. This variation is the result of many different provider license classes and a wide range of service models, standards, and company structures. Another factor contributing to fragmentation in the home care industry is market opportunity. Due to the increase in our aging population many non-health care professionals, with limited experience, are entering home care looking to "cash in". Because both the offerings and quality of home care businesses vary significantly, consumers should be mindful that initial price quotes may be deceiving.

AgeWell has created this tool to assist you in your evaluation of home care providers. The tool covers only a fraction of the many features you and/or your loved one may find important. Therefore, we would be happy to provide you with additional details or answer any of your questions. An AgeWell representative can be reached anytime at 1-866-345-8770.

Enter Name of Home Care Agency

Comprehensive Services

Does the Agency:

Provide you the ease of a single contact for all your service needs? No Yes

Provide all types and levels of Care Giving services? No Yes

Coordinate other Healthcare services? No Yes

Provide Lifestyle improvement services? No Yes

Provide Home Management services? No Yes

Employ its own staff of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, home health aides, homemakers, live-ins, and companions? No Yes

Coordination of Services

Does the Agency:

Match you with a PROFESSIONAL CareManager? No Yes

Offer FREE assessments within two hours of your request? No Yes

Guarantee staffing within 24 hours of assessment? No Yes

Provide ongoing oversight and professional assessment? No Yes

Quality of Services

Does the Agency:

Have a state license to provide home health services? No Yes

Communicate regularly with the medical community? No Yes

Have weekly multidisciplinary team meetings? No Yes

Maintain membership in, and follow standards of local, state and national organizations representing the long-term care industry? No Yes

Conduct ongoing service satisfaction surveys? No Yes

Specialize in high quality care for the senior population? No Yes

Communication

Does the Agency:

Provide access to company management after hours and on weekends? No Yes

Provide weekly schedules of all planned services to clients and families? No Yes

Provide updates to the family, friends and/or physician at the client's request? No Yes

Staff Selection, Qualifications & Training

Does the Agency:

Have experts in senior care guiding the delivery of all services? No Yes

Require the most stringent guidelines in the country for our caregivers? No Yes

Provide liability, malpractice, and Workers Compensation Insurance for all their employees? No Yes

Provide orientation, professional education and staff development programs for all employees on a regular basis? No Yes

Match employees' skills and experience to clients' specific needs and limit the number of caregivers to assure continuity? No Yes

Cost, Location, Convenience

Does the Agency:

Guarantee staffing of every scheduled shift? No Yes

Offer competitive fees and inform client of all charges at the time of assessment? No Yes

Guarantee client satisfaction by not charging for unsatisfactory services? No Yes

Have the ability to accept Long Term Care Insurance as payment? No Yes

Deliver services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? No Yes

Provide 24 hour on-call management, nursing and staffing coordination? No Yes

Structure of the Company

Does the Agency:

Have local management who are experienced health care professionals with a record of providing quality home-based services? No Yes

Have client, family and referral source references that you can contact to verify the quality of services? No Yes

Have letters of recommendation from clients, their loved ones and health care professionals available for review? No Yes

Support local community programs with and resources? No Yes