Choosing the Right Home Care Agency for Your Loved One

When a loved one gets to a certain age, they start to find to harder and harder to look after themselves at home. Simple tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and keeping up with household chores become a huge drain in their energy and can even increase the risk of falls and other accidents. Home care agencies provide home caregivers that take care of these daily tasks for your loved one, but how do you know which one is the best to go with? Here at TruCare Home Care, we know that leaving your loved one in the care of someone you don’t fully know can be an unsettling experience, which is why we’ve put together this short but comprehensive guide on how to choose the right home care agency for your loved one’s needs.

Meeting your loved one’s needs
Different types of care agencies offer different levels of care. These range from taking care of household chores all the way up to complete at-home medical care from medically trained nurses. Consider which care-level your loved one would benefit from most, and then start your search once you’ve determined the level of care they need.

The four main types of home care agencies are:

• Home health agencies
• Hospices
• Homemaker and home care aide agencies
• Staffing and private-duty agencies.

Some agencies will typically cover more than one of these care services, so it’s always good to inquire with them about what they can offer, especially as your loved one’s needs may change in the future.
Preparing for the first meeting
Once you’ve identified a potential home care agency for your loved one, you’ll need to visit the agency and talk with the nurses, home caregivers, and management staff to get a feel for the agency. It’s good to be armed with a set of questions that relate to the care requirements of your loved one to ensure they have the competency to care for them.

Here is a list of questions you may want to ask them in addition to more specific questions relating to your loved one’s situation:

• How long has the agency been in business and providing its services?
• Does it have Medicare certification?
• Does it have a state license?
• How far does Medicare or insurance cover the cost of the agency’s services?
• What services do they provide?
• Do they conduct background checks on staff?
• How does the agency train its staff? Are the staff certified?
• How will nurses or care staff evaluate the home care needs of your loved one?
• How does the agency deal with complaints, suggestions, and queries from family members of the person in their care?
• What measures does the agency have in place to deal with emergency situations involving people in their care?
• What hours are caregivers available for? Do they offer 24hr call-out services if needed?

With this set of questions and your own relating to the needs of your loved one, you should be able to measure the competency of the agency for when it comes to caring for them.
Finding a place that offers a level of care worthy of your loved one is a big task and one that deserves a huge amount of attention and concentration. If you’re looking to find an agency for your loved one, follow the suggestions made above and you should have no problems finding one that’s suitable for their needs. Here at TruCare Home Care, we employ only the best in the home care industry, so check out our services on our website and give us a call to arrange a meeting about caring for your loved one.