Peace of Mind at Home: How to Choose a Home Care Agency

Finding a home health care agency for a loved one is not an easy decision. There is a wide range of nursing homes and services.

You want to make sure you have an agency that will provide all the support your parents, spouse, partner, children, or any other relative may need. There are so many factors that you need to take into consideration when making your decision.

That’s why the question, “How to Choose the Right Home Care Agency,” is probably the most important question you will ask yourself when you start the process of finding the right agency.

From investigating whether or not the home care staff will provide qualified care to ensuring that the price is fit for your budget, you need to take the time to thoroughly study the options that are available to you. In short, you want to make sure the agency meets your loved one’s needs.

What is a Home Care Agency?

A Home Care Agency is a public or private company which delivers skilled nursing, home care assistants, mental health professionals and other types of certified staff right to a person’s doorstep instead of having an individual stay in a nursing or other kind of traditional healthcare facility.

There are a number of services such an agency can provide. These services can include:

Home Health Aide (HHA)

These individuals help the home care services team, who are taking care of your loved one, to monitor your loved one’s condition, assist with personal care, along with helping them complete their daily activities. 

They often help individuals with disabilities or a chronic condition. They also assist those who are elderly. Some of the services they may offer include:

• Helping patients with their daily personal tasks, such as bathing or getting dressed.
• Perform light housekeeping, which can include laundry, washing dishes, or tidying up.
• Help with organizing and coordinating a patient’s schedule and to plan appointments.
• Arrange for transportations to medical appointments.
• Arrange for social events with families and friends to keep the patient engaged with their community and to prevent isolation.

(If you want to learn more about a HHA’s job, read this article, “Care-In-Action: A Real-World Look at the Caregiver Job Description.”)

Skilled Nursing

Skilled nursing care is an important part choosing a home health agency. These are certified nurses who provide care to the patients in a home setting. They complete routine testing with the patient, including monitoring the patient’s vital signs.

They can also assist with chronic disease management and care coordination, provide wound care, manage medication and infusion therapy.

Companionship

A companion is the individual on the care team who helps provide the patient with some social activity, to help the patient feel like he or she is not alone. They provide stimulating and enjoyable activities. They can take walks with patient, play games, and facilitate visits with friends and neighbors.

Therapy

Agencies also offer physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The physical therapist focuses on helping patients regain their strength and to improve their balance and coordination.

An occupational therapist works with a patient, in their home, to show how they can change or adapt the patient’s home environment to encourage their independence.

Speech therapists help retrain patients whose condition makes it difficult to swallow, speak, or communicate through writing. Their treatments are geared toward improving memory and thinking, language, speech, voice, and breathing.

Depending on your loved one’s condition, you would need to make sure the home care services agency you’re choosing is equipped with a staff who can handle your loved one’s needs.

In some instances, you might find a home health care agency which specializes in working with patients, who have certain health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, brain injuries, or cancer.

If you find an agency that focuses on the health illness which your loved one has, you might want to put those health care agencies at the top of the list.

Also, don’t forget to make sure that the staff has completed background checks. All home care agencies should have this completed, but it is always a good idea to double check.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Choose a Home Care Agency

We, at All American Home Care, know finding the agency with the quality of care you need can be very overwhelming. To help you through the tedious and complicated process, these following steps can make the decision a bit easier.

Step 1: Assess Your Needs:

Evaluate the type of needs your loved one wants and requires. Once you know what type of assistance is required, you can narrow down the agency options based on what is needed.

Medical vs. Non-Medical

For instance, determine if your loved one needs medical or non-medical options. Both of these services help your loved one maintain a sense of independence, but the type of need varies.

Medical services would require licensed professionals to come into the home. However, if your patient has non-medical needs, a home care agency wouldn’t need licensed professionals. Instead, they may need caregivers like home health assistants or companionship.

Frequency and Hours of Care Needed

Some patients only need services for a couple of hours a day. Others may need live-in services. Find out what hours work best for your loved one.

Special conditions

Some patients have specific conditions which need certain or special services. For example, if your loved one has a brain injury, look for home care agencies that are equipped with the staff and technology to support your loved one.

Step 2: Verify Licensing and Certification

Many take it for granted that if a nursing agency exists, then it should be following all the rules and regulations.

Furthermore, they should have all of the mandatory licensing and certifications. But sometimes (although rare) there are shady individuals who like to skip all of the mandatory steps. Your job is to double check and make sure that everything is in check.

State Licensing Requirements

Each state has different requirements. It’s wise to see what the state licensing requirements entail, so you can see if the home care agencies you are looking at are following all of the policy.

If you are looking for a home care agency for a loved one who is living in another state, look up the requirements for that state too. There is a good chance that the other state’s requirements are different from the state you are living in.

Medicare/Medicaid Certification

Many people who use home care services, bill Medicare or Medicaid to help cover the agency’s expenses.

Medicare is a federally funded program which can help with some of the home care expenses, and Medicaid is a federal- and state-funded program which can also help with some of the home care expenses. You can find out more about these programs by reading the following article, “Caregiver Eligibility: Who Qualifies Under Medicare Rules.”

If you want to charge for Medicare services or Medicaid services, you will need to make sure the home care agency you choose, will have the proper Medicaid/Medicare certification.

This means making sure the agency has obtained certification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This certification ensures your agency meets the federal requirements.

Check for the Joint Commission Home Care Accreditation Program:

The Joint Commission is an authority agency when it comes to home care services. Being accredited by the Joint Commission shows the agency has an elevated quality of care. The commission’s accreditation system includes rigorous standards and a thorough evaluation.

Step 3 – Review the Agency’s Reputation:

This is a very crucial step when looking for a home care agency. The agency’s website and literature might be filled with all sorts of praise-worthy, agency accomplishments, but they could just be using that information to attract clients.

You need to check for online reviews and testimonials for the agency. Ask your doctor or other medical professionals for recommendations and also ask for references. The Better Business Bureau or state health department records could supply you with this type of information too.

Step 4: Visit and Ask the Right Questions:

Don’t just take what’s online as the truth. Pick up the phone or send out an E-mail and schedule a visit and a tour with several home care agencies. Then, you can get a feel for how a top-notch home care agency should operate.

Furthermore, while at the agency, come prepared with a list of questions. Ask about the caregiver qualification and background checks to ensure they have a certified-home-care services staff. Make sure emergency procedures are in place. And also ask about caregiver supervision and replacement policies.

Step 5: Understand Costs and Payment Options:

Also, find out what the hourly rates are for the services and if there are any additional fees.

Don’t forget that different employees may have different rates due to their education level. For instance, you will probably be charged more for a skilled nurse’s service over a Home Health Aide.

Check your insurance. See if you have or if you can purchase long-term care insurance.

See if there are other programs that can help too. As previously mentioned, Medicare and Medicaid can offer financial assistance. If your loved one is a veteran, veteran cost-assistance benefits and programs could be available too.

Step 6: Request a Written Care Plan

Many families overlook this important step. However, requesting a written care plan ensures clarity and accountability from the beginning.

See how well the staff will write the care plan, and how they will customize their services to help your loved ones. Make sure the care plan shows how the staff and the doctor will be involved in the treatment.

In addition, see how flexible the staff is making changes. You know your loved one better than them. You know if something needs to be changed. If they don’t want to make the changes to accommodate your loved one’s needs, this agency might not be the right one for you.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

Now that you’ve gone through the steps, you also need to be on the lookout for red flags. Here’s a list of some warnings to look for:

• Frequent cancellations and no-shows.
• Nurses that aren’t trained adequately.
• Minimal supervision visit also known as ghost supervising.
• High staff turnover.
• Incomplete documentation.
• Poor communication response times or no response at all.
• No back up plans or emergency protocol.
• No accreditation.
• Negative reviews, violations, or complaints.
• Your loved one doesn’t approve. After all, your loved one is the one receiving home care. 

Choosing the right home care agency is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to the health, comfort, safety, and dignity of a loved one. There’s no doubt the process can be overwhelming, but you need to take the time to assess your loved one’s needs, verify credentials, and ask the right questions can lead you to a provider that truly prioritizes compassionate, professional care.

From skilled nursing to companionship and specialized therapies, a quality home care agency should be equipped to offer the full range of services your family needs, while also treating your loved one with the respect and empathy they deserve

Use the step-by-step guide in this article as your roadmap. Don’t be afraid to take your time, compare options, and trust your instincts. And always watch for red flags, because peace of mind starts with knowing your loved one is safe, supported, and in capable hands.