How do I help my aging parents find the right home care agency?

If you are reading this blog, you are likely one of the millions of adult children who have come to the difficult realization that their parents are no longer safe at home without additional support. This is a tough pill to swallow, both because as children we often look to our parents for support and it's hard when the tables turn, and because most of us have never thought about, let alone prepared for this moment. 

When considering home-based support for the first time there are many factors to consider. These include: 

• How much care does my parent need? 
• What kind of care do they need- private duty care, home health care, personal care, or companionship?
• How much does it cost and how do I/we pay for it? 

“When is the right time for in-home care”, provides guidance on these important questions

How can you tell the difference between low and high quality home care providers

3 Markers (or Indicators) of a Quality Home Care Provider

1. Training Standards

You’ll want to look for home care providers who take training seriously and invest deeply in training and education for their caregiving staff. 

Ask agencies what their training standards are. 

• What certifications do they require of their caregivers? 
• Do they provide any ongoing training? 
• What about peer mentorship? 
• Do they train on special conditions like dementia or diabetes? 

This last question is especially important if your parent has a specific medical condition that needs knowledgeable attention. 

2. Caregiver Turnover and Tenure

A high-quality home care agency that invests in its caregivers should have a lower turnover. Caregiver turnover (caregivers who leave their jobs or leave the field altogether) is a major problem in the home care field. Every year between 60-85% of an agency’s caregivers leave for other agencies or jobs. This is often a marker of poor job quality. 

High-quality home care providers will also have caregivers that stay with them for years (have long tenure).  The blog, What Makes a [City/Location Name] Home Care Job a Good Job shares more markers of what a good home care provider does. 

Like training standards, you should feel empowered to ask an agency what their turnover rate is, and if it's high, why. 

3. Customer Experience 

When you call an agency, do they ask you specific questions about your needs or the needs of your loved ones? Do they listen to understand? Do they give you adequate time and take the time to meaningfully answer your questions and not just “sell”? 

This is a more objective and highly personal measure of quality, but it can’t be overlooked. Your initial experience and the gut instincts you feel are often great measures of what your overall experience will be. If they don’t have time for you now in the sales process, they are not likely to have time for you when you have questions or concerns down the line. The only caveat to this rule is to make sure you maintain reasonable expectations too about your upfront asks and demands on time.  

Home Care Associates works hard to provide the highest quality of care possible. We do that by investing in our caregiving workforce. We provide:

• Paid training to anyone who joins our team. Our training program was designed in partnership with PHI, an industry leader in training and job quality, and have received the Governor’s Achievement Award, the American Society on Aging’s Best Practice Award, the Better Business Bureau’s Best Health Service Award and the Philadelphia County Assistance Office’s Employer Recognition Award because of our innovative training programs.
• HCA provides above-average wages, full-time hours, leadership opportunities and community engagement, and worker-ownership
• HCA provides ongoing On-The-Job training and pairs new caregivers with our tenured caregivers for mentorship.
• HCA provides extensive employment supports to understand and navigate a caregivers’ needs and goals.
• All caregivers who work with us for more than 3 months have the opportunity to become a co-owner of the company. Worker owners can run for the Board of Directors and vote on company decisions.

We also invest in our clients. We offer a free care assessment where we identify our clients specific challenges, explain all of their care options, and answer any questions about how we approach in-home care.

That’s the cooperative difference in home care.  

If you are looking for quality care for yourself or your loved ones, give us a call and experience the difference of owner-led home care.