5 Questions to Ask When Looking for a Home Care Provider for Your Elderly Parent

If Mom or Dad can no longer live safely at home on their own, you may have already thought about finding home health care services to help at home. Whether they have recently returned from the hospital after a stroke or heart attack, or are now suffering from a degenerative disease such as Parkinson’s, or Multiple Sclerosis, it may be obvious that they can no longer cope alone.

The next step in the process is finding a trusted, reliable Home Care provider that not only has an exemplary reputation, but also takes pride in its experienced caregivers who can support your journey by making the transition as seamless as possible.

If you've opted to find good Home Care for your parent for those times when you can't be there to provide the support they need, then you're probably already aware of the benefits a Home Care aide can provide: One-to-one personal care; companionship for your mom or dad; specialized assistance for mobility issues, and a chance for your parent to stay in the comfort of their own home rather than an assisted living community.

But how can you be sure that the Home Care company you contact is the right one for your Mom or Dad? Below are five questions to ask your potential Home Care providers to ensure that you will get the best Home Care possible.  

1. How do you select your caregivers?

Find out how each Home Care company chooses the people they employ to care for elderly or infirm people. Find out what education and training is required in order for the caregivers to be considered for the position, and, ask if the company offers ongoing and/or personalized client training for each case. Also ask about licensing, accreditation and insurance of the Home Care caregivers.

When you're meeting the caregiver for the first time, make a personal judgement about whether they seem friendly, proactive and experienced. Weigh out the importance of the professional qualifications versus the qualities that are more difficult to measure on paper, such as compassion and respect. Having a good connection with your parent is paramount for the success of the overall relationship.

2. What is your history, background and mission statement?

Get to know the company behind the Home Care aide. Why did the owner create the business? What is at the heart of the company's ethos and philosophies? A company focused on profit with an administrative staff that has no first-hand experience of caregiving is likely to have a different outlook to an organically-grown business with caregiving at its roots.

3. How do you monitor quality of care?

A common concern of those who are choosing Home Care for an elderly parent is just how they will know that Mom or Dad is getting the care they need when there is nobody around to check. If you have a parent with cognitive or speech difficulties, or one who has problems with short-term memory, this question is even more pertinent.

Trusting the consistency and quality of elder care at home for your family member is of the utmost importance and a good Home Care provider will know this and have processes in place to give you all the reassurance you need.

4. How does the company work with the client's family to support the Home Care process?

As the adult child of a parent who is getting Home Care support, it is likely that you will want to be kept involved and informed of continuing care and any problems that might arise. Inquire about how the communication channels are kept open, the frequency of this communication, and the process for ensuring a safe and comfortable introduction between your parent and the caregiver.

5. What specific services does the company provide?

To be sure that your expectations are fully met, find out in advance what kind of services the Home Care company provides. There is a big difference between companionship care and care that requires personal care. Understand the difference between Live-In care (where the caregiver sleeps at night) and 24/7 care, where both day and overnight caregivers are awake for the entire shift. And, don’t forget to ask if the company has minimum hourly requirements, or whether they can provide transportation to a doctor’s appointment, offer medication reminders, etc.  

It is important to know exactly what your parent and your family need, and what a Home Care provider can offer, so that there are no misunderstanding around the level of care. If your needs are urgent, find out how you can quickly secure care, without compromising the excellence of that care.

Ultimately, you will want reassurance that Mom, or Dad, will be safer - and happier - with the assistance from a Home Care aide. Giving your trust over to a third party is no easy task, but hopefully your Home Care provider will be able to answer the above questions with such assurance that you can feel confident moving forward with a Home Care plan. Above all, trust your instinct; if your Home Care choice feels right to you, the chances are it will feel right to your mom or dad, too.

Find out how we can help provide the Home Care your parent needs by contacting our friendly and experienced caregiver team.