10 Considerations When Choosing An In-Home Senior Care Service Agency
1. Demonstrated Customer Satisfaction: 5-star Google Reviews
Google reviews are generally considered the most reliable source of customer satisfaction data for a given business. What do you learn from Google reviews for the home care agencies you may be considering?
2. Reliability and On-going Commitment to Customer Satisfaction: Service Guarantee
Families expect caregivers to show up for every scheduled shift. When a caregiver is unable to go to a scheduled shift, does the agency state that it will make every effort to find a replacement caregiver to fill that shift? Is the agency willing to back up that commitment with a Service Guarantee of some sort – e.g., an offer to provide a future credit for any desired shift that is not filled?
3. Commitment to Better Cost-Effective Care Across the Spectrum: Senior Day Program
We understand that in-home care is expensive. With that in mind, we try to focus on ways to provide better care more cost-effectively. One example is our dementia-friendly Senior Day Program, designed to provide a comfortable, homespun environment for families seeking cost-effective daytime care for a loved one. Check to see what the other agencies are doing to raise the level of care while increasing the affordability of that care.
4. Demonstrated Employee Satisfaction: Boston Globe Top Workplace
A happy and motivated workforce can make all the difference when your loved one relies on the caregiver going into the home for everything from fundamental support of the activities of daily living to adding a little sunshine to the day. Ask any agency you are considering to show you how happy their caregivers are. At Home Instead Norwell, the happiness of our employees has helped us to achieve the ranking of #6 out of 40 small businesses (50-99 employees) honored with the 2024 Boston Globe Top Workplace award.
5. Care Professional Training: Alzheimer’s Association Training Certification
What training is required for caregivers to complete before they provide services to your family member? We provide our caregivers – Care Professionals – with two days of initial training, including one day of personal care training, plus Alzheimer’s Association dementia training. Over goal is to always have 100% of our Care Professionals dementia trained and certified.
6. Thorough Background Checks of Care Professionals: Across the U.S.
Caregivers are unsupervised strangers in your family’s home. Ask about the background checks the agency conducts on caregivers. Do they conduct a social security trace to find all records, no matter where the caregiver has lived?
7. Relationship Support: Quality Assurance Reviews
How does the agency supervise their caregiver’s work performance in your family’s home? An assigned care coordinator meets regularly with our Care Professionals and your family at home to review our services, beginning with the first introduction of the Care Professional in your home.
8. Caregiver Clock-in/Clock-out Verification: GPS-verified system
How does the agency monitor and ensure that the caregivers arrive at their shift on time and that they do not leave before their scheduled shifts are completed? Our Care Professionals must clock-in and clock-out with our office for every shift.
9. 24-hour Availability: Staff member answers the phone 24/7
Does the agency have an employee on-call, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to respond to your needs - not a voicemail stating they will call you back the next business day? How does the family communicate with the agency regarding changes in schedule, emergency situations, additional needs? We have an employee on call 24 hours every day to respond immediately to your needs.
10. Accommodates Your Schedule: Beginning with the initial complimentary Care Consultation
How does the agency accommodate your unique hours and schedule? Our Care Professional services accommodate your needs. We will meet you and/or any member of your family when and where necessary, at your convenience.
Want More Information?
To learn how Home Instead in Norwell can assist you and keep your senior safe and well-cared for in his or her own home, call Jay Tolman, Director of Community Outreach, at (781) 878-2994