Questions to Ask Home Care Providers
Home Instead of East Indianapolis believes families should have the necessary knowledge to choose the best home care company for them. We understand that starting the process of looking for home care can be daunting, so we've created a number of questions to help you compare home care companies!
(Home Instead's own answers are below each question in purple.)
- Is the company licensed by the State of Indiana?
Yes, we are a Home Care Agency licensed by the state of Indiana. We have a Personal Services Agency (PSA) license.
- Does the agency have 100% employer responsibility for the caregivers? Or does the client assume some, or all, of the employer responsibility/risk?
Home Instead employs all CAREGivers as W-2 employees. We maintain 100% of the employer responsibility for our CAREGivers, including: payroll, tax withholdings, annual training competencies, bonding and licensing, and workers compensation insurance. Our Clients, and their families, carry zero employer responsibility or risk when receiving care through Home Instead.
- Do all caregivers complete a background check?
Yes. Before they are invited into any family’s home, we run a thorough background check; State, National, and Federal. We also run their name through the Sex Offender Registry database. We drug test them prior to hire and they are drug tested at random throughout their employment with Home Instead. Because we offer transportation services, we also check their driving records for any major blemishes.
- Have all the caregivers been trained?
- By whom?
- What is the extent of their training?
- Does the training include Alzheimer's specific training?
Each of our CAREGivers complete a comprehensive, multi-phased training program before they ever meet or work with a client. We offer to all of our CAREGivers, First Aid and CPR training. We also offer Specialized Training for Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Bedbound, and Hospice. We encourage each CAREGiver to participate in each of these training programs. If you or a family member are in need of one of these specialized services, we will send in a CAREGiver who is qualified and also has experience in this field of service.
- Are the caregivers bonded and insured?
Each person who enters your home is bonded to protect you against loss. And we insure all of our CAREGivers to protect against loss, as well.
- Does the agency cover the caregiver with workers' compensation coverage?
Yes. Home Instead carries Workers Compensation Insurance to protect each of our CAREGivers in case of a work-related injury.
- Can you check references on the agency?
Yes. Home Instead has online reviews from previous and current Clients and CAREGivers on our website, as well as on Caring.com. On Caring.com you can compare our agency to other local Home Care agencies in the area.
- Does the agency offer back-up / replacement caregivers if our regular caregiver is unable to come?
We understand that consistency is very important to you, your loved one, and to our CAREGivers. This is how trust and relationships are built. Therefore, we will work with you to develop one primary CAREGiver.
For those instances when your primary CAREGiver falls ill, takes a vacation, or simply cannot not make it in, we like to have already introduced a back-up CAREGiver to your family. This way, you and your family will already be familiar and comfortable with the back-up CAREGiver. Yes, you will always be offered a replacement CAREGiver. Consistency in care is very important to us. - How much flexibility will you have in setting a schedule for services?
Flexibility is crucial to personally customizing each Client’s care schedule. Home Instead can provide as little as a three-hour visit/three times per week, or as much as round-the-clock care seven days a week, depending on the needs of the Client. Clients can adjust the care schedule, as care needs change, by coordinating schedule changes with our Care Coordination team, available 24/7.
- How does the agency provide quality oversight of the care provided?
We keep in constant contact with you and your loved one. Communication is a very important aspect of what we do. We will follow up after the first visit and again after one week of care has been provided. We do this to ensure that proper care is being provided and that everyone is happy and comfortable with the situation. We also check in routinely, just to call to see how everything is going and to say hello.
We conduct routine home visits; we call these visits, Quality Assurance Visits. Our Client Care Coordinator will call you or your loved one to schedule this. During the face-to-face visit, we will sit and discuss the care being provided, we will document if there has been any changes in condition since our last visit. We can alter the Care Plan, if necessary, at this time.
From their initial care consult and client onboarding, to their regular quality assurance visits, our team will ensure that your loved one is safe, happy, and healthy in the comfort of their home!