31 Jan How To Choose an In-Home Care Management Program For Your Loved One
You’ve done your homework. You have interviewed several In-Home Care agencies. You asked the tough questions and you have narrowed down your search. How do you know which In-Home Care Management Program to choose? After all, you want to know your loved one will be well taken care of.
- Make a list and weigh the pros and cons.
You went through the interview process and asked all the important questions. Make a list of what each agency answered. See where they differ. For example, did one offer 24/7 service or nursing oversight and the other didn’t? Creating a list will really lay it out for you to see what is most important to you, what you can live with, and what you can’t live without.
- Call the references.
The agencies should have provided you with a list of references – that match the type of care your loved one will be receiving. If they didn’t, call them and have them send you over some. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call! It is important to hear their experiences – good or bad. Ask them about their in-home professionals. Are they good and attentive? Has there ever been an incident? If so, how was it handled and managed? How hands on do they feel the agency is? Are the responsive? This might really help narrow down your search.
- Think back to the in-home visit.
You made sure that the agency didn’t contract out workers. The agencies should do background checks on every caregiver. When they came for an in-home visit, how did it feel? Did the agency and the In-home caregivers seem compassionate, warm and caring? Was there anything that might have felt off about it? Did you get a bad feeling? Making sure that you and your loved one felt comfortable is important. These in-home professionals are going to be around a lot and caring for them. You need to be 100% sure that they are the best of the best. If anything felt off, take them off your list.
- Ask your loved one for their opinion.
Their opinion is just as important as yours. While you want what is best for them, they can weigh in on which agency seems best. They are going to be the ones receiving the care. It is important that they like and feel safe around their in-home professionals.
After laying out all the options and weighing the pros and cons, which agency did you feel the best about? Being too detailed is not a bad thing. If needed, call the agency again with any other questions that you might have thought of. You are not being invasive, there is no dumb question, and that is what the agency is there for. Choosing the right In-Home Care Management Program is an important decision.