How to Choose a Senior Home Care Agency

Most of us hope we will never be faced with the need for senior care services for ourselves or a loved one.  It is in the same category as "fire and flood insurance" - something that happens to other people.  However, we still buy it, just in case.  And then we forget about it.  The reality is, tornadoes do hit.  And the best insurance, as they say, is preparation.

Life expectancy rates are increasing (a newborn today in the U.S.A. has a life-expectancy of age 100), and with advances in medical care, Americans are living longer than ever before.  While Medicare does provide for health care services for seniors, it does not provide for long-term care services.

Because of this, many seniors opt for senior care services in their own home, especially if only part-time care services are needed.  This is often the situation after major surgery or when an age-related disease begins to develop, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Disease.

How do you know where to turn for quality senior home care?

As a former owner of a senior home care agency for 7 years, I have found that you can easily separate the wheat from the chaff by following a few guidelines when choosing an agency.

First, make sure the agency hires their Caregivers as employees.  This provides you with the added benefits of Worker's Compensation Insurance and Unemployment Insurance.  These are both considered part of payroll taxes and are included in your fee.  There are many stories about families who hired Caregivers and then discovered later that they were responsible for taxes that were not paid or sued for an injury a Caregiver suffered while providing care services.  A Senior Home Care Agency takes responsibility for the liability for any on-the-job injuries as the employer and provides for all payroll taxes as a professional business.  The Senior Home Care Agency will also provide Fidelity Bond Insurance which will protect you in the event of theft.  The agency must follow certain procedures when hiring in order to maintain these valuable insurance coverages (background checks, active supervision and training will be required).  By having these procedures in place, safety and quality can be maintained.

Next, make sure the Senior Home Care Agency provides regular "check-in" visits on the care services.  A quality agency will have a Nurse Care Manager or Supervisor stop by to make sure the client and Caregiver are a good match and that all the care needs are being met.  The frequency of these visits will depend upon the number of hours of care provided each week.  You should expect check-in visits to occur every two-weeks under full-time care.

Finally, make sure the agency creates and manages a "Plan of Care" for the senior.  This will include details on a daily routine and the job duties for the Caregiver.

Be sure to stay very involved with the agency during the first month of service to make sure the caregiver and the senior are getting along and communicating their needs.

If you do not live in the same city as the senior who needs care or if your family and career obligations prevent you from being available for day-time doctor appointments, you may want to consider hiring a Geriatric Care Manager.