Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
Even though I already know which questions I will ask, I may overlook some more important questions. Could someone guide me in that direction? Thank you.
I learned as I went along one agency I was going to use impressed me because the owner of the company went to the rehab and met with me and my husband and then talked to the nurses and the head nurse to learn about what my husbands needs were and they agreed to provide care for the hours that were good for me-the other agencies picked the hours they thought were good-my husband died and I never got to use that agency but have recommanded them to others-call all the agencies in your and you will get a feel for the best.
If your loved one is returning home after a stint in rehab or the hospital you must begin this process long before discharge. If I had done this I wouldn't have picked the agency we are currently working with. There requirements regarding prepaying and timelines for reducing and then ending services were too inflexible to meet my father's needs. At this time my father no longer requires care but surely will in the future. I may start interviewing before the need arises. Brochures from agencies are just not enough.
Awesome list of questions AssistanceHC. I found that initially when I asked most of these questions...got good answers. Utilized home care but as time went on and the caregivers came and went. We now have an individual who is wonderful and experienced. Course we don't have the back up that an agency can provide.
Emotions can be running high when you realize that someone you care about needs help to continue to stay safe living in their home. While studies show that almost 90% of seniors wish to remain in their own home, very few are open to the idea of having someone outside of family in their home. It is this reason that hiring a home care agency for a loved one is critically important to get right the first time. Be diligent in your research of home care agencies in your area and select 3 or 4 agencies to interview. It's not something that you want to rush through. Set aside an entire day for you and your family to sit down and conduct interviews.
I always encourage a family to write out all of their questions that come to mind first and then cross reference with the questions below. I am confident that by doing this you will have compiled a rock solid home care agency interview questionaire that will yield you and your loved one the absolute best home care service provider in your area
Top 25 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Home Care Agency:
1.May we meet you at your office? 2.Tell me about your agency's history. How did you get started? 3.What amount of paid training do you provide your caregiver's over the course of a year? 4.Does the agency provide any caregiver training for the family? 5.Are the caregivers employees of your company or 1099 employees? 6.Who at the company is involved with the hiring process? 7.Can you walk me through what all is involved in your employee recruiting process? 8.How does the agency monitor the timeliness of their employees? (Telephony?) 9.What is the home care agency's backup plan when a caregiver does not show up for a scheduled appointment? 10.How does the company handle customer complaints or concerns? 11.Can I get a list of references that have used your care services in the last 3 months? 12.Explain the home care agency's process for aligning a caregiver with my loved one? 13.Explain the home care agency's process for ensuring that you are providing reliable and trustworthy caregivers. 14.May we interview the caregiver before they start? 15.What is your caregiver turnover for the past year? 16.What is your agency's plan for the supervision of your caregivers in my home? 17.Are caregivers insured and bonded? Can I see this documentation and can you explain what it means and how it protects me? 18.How soon could a caregiver start? 19.Who answers the phone during after hours? 20.How does the agency communicate with the family? 21.What is the minimum numbers of hours per scheduled shift or per week? 22.Does the agency provide live in home care services? 23.Does the home care agency require any commitment to length of time that service must be provided? 24.How will the agency work to minimize the number of different caregivers that will be utilized to provide care for our loved one? 25.Why should I choose your agency? As you can see, it will take some time to get through all of the questions, but sticking to your guns and asking all of the questions will give you a good basis for making your final agency selection. Please ensure that you have set aside 60-90 minutes with each home care agency so you can be confident that you have selected the best care provider for your loved one and provide you with the peace of mind knowing your loved one is in good hands.
Since you know your Mom the best, consider what you are seeking the agency to provide. Companionship? Med reminder? Bathing? Meal prep? etc. Are you seeking part time or live in? Ask about training and experience for the aide that relate to your Mom's specific issues. (I found that some agencies provided more training for dementia issues than others.)
And just to be safe . . . I removed all financial documents and important family pieces prior to starting in-home care for my Mom. (Better safe than sorry) I also changed the mailing address for all my Mom's financial institutions so statements were sent to me. Good luck.
My feeling is go with your gut. Do you like the people? The atmosphere? Or is there something that makes you feel that they are just in this for the money. Watch how they interact with the residents, and if they have staff, watch the dynamics there. I think you know the basics, so it's more about feel than anything. Good luck, Carol
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
I always encourage a family to write out all of their questions that come to mind first and then cross reference with the questions below. I am confident that by doing this you will have compiled a rock solid home care agency interview questionaire that will yield you and your loved one the absolute best home care service provider in your area
Top 25 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Home Care Agency:
1.May we meet you at your office?
2.Tell me about your agency's history. How did you get started?
3.What amount of paid training do you provide your caregiver's over the course of a year?
4.Does the agency provide any caregiver training for the family?
5.Are the caregivers employees of your company or 1099 employees?
6.Who at the company is involved with the hiring process?
7.Can you walk me through what all is involved in your employee recruiting process?
8.How does the agency monitor the timeliness of their employees? (Telephony?)
9.What is the home care agency's backup plan when a caregiver does not show up for a scheduled appointment?
10.How does the company handle customer complaints or concerns?
11.Can I get a list of references that have used your care services in the last 3 months?
12.Explain the home care agency's process for aligning a caregiver with my loved one?
13.Explain the home care agency's process for ensuring that you are providing reliable and trustworthy caregivers.
14.May we interview the caregiver before they start?
15.What is your caregiver turnover for the past year?
16.What is your agency's plan for the supervision of your caregivers in my home?
17.Are caregivers insured and bonded? Can I see this documentation and can you explain what it means and how it protects me?
18.How soon could a caregiver start?
19.Who answers the phone during after hours?
20.How does the agency communicate with the family?
21.What is the minimum numbers of hours per scheduled shift or per week?
22.Does the agency provide live in home care services?
23.Does the home care agency require any commitment to length of time that service must be provided?
24.How will the agency work to minimize the number of different caregivers that will be utilized to provide care for our loved one?
25.Why should I choose your agency?
As you can see, it will take some time to get through all of the questions, but sticking to your guns and asking all of the questions will give you a good basis for making your final agency selection. Please ensure that you have set aside 60-90 minutes with each home care agency so you can be confident that you have selected the best care provider for your loved one and provide you with the peace of mind knowing your loved one is in good hands.
And just to be safe . . . I removed all financial documents and important family pieces prior to starting in-home care for my Mom. (Better safe than sorry) I also changed the mailing address for all my Mom's financial institutions so statements were sent to me. Good luck.
Carol