Every metro area is served by in-home providers of specialized, non-medical, care services for people who need “assisted living” but don’t want to move to communal housing. Some providers are government-funded agencies and some are private-pay businesses, basically serving as staffing firms, recruiting, hiring, and deploying local caregivers. Some providers are hands-on, private-pay caregivers who work directly with clients, who pay them directly.
If you’re evaluating a home-care agency or caregiver, these questions might help guide your interview process. Strongly recommend you ask for several client AND personal references and contact ALL those reference people to ask how to make the most out of your interactions with the caregivers.
Interview questions for home-care companies and agencies
- How many years has your agency been caring for elders in our community?
- Can your agency provide me with documentation of liability coverage?
- How do you check your workers’ national and local criminal and driving records?
- Are all your caregivers employees who are protected by Workers’ Compensation?
- Are all your caregivers bonded and insured for theft?
- What is your method for tracking caregiver arrival and departure times at a client’s home?
- Do you provide “around-the-clock” telephone service?
- What is your backup coverage if a caregiver cannot make it to work?
- What is the minimum quantity of hours required per shift or per week or month?
- Which “personal care” services do you provide, including bathing, toileting, and mobility assistance, and what kind of social or cultural activities will you enable?
- What transportation services can you provide for clients and how much do you charge extra for driving or escorting on mass transit?
- Does your agency have an office where I can meet your staff?
- Do you provide a written document clearly describing care services, rates and special fees?
- Is it possible to be assigned the same 1 or 2 caregivers for all visits?
- Does your agency make periodic supervisory visits to a client’s home?
- What is your written policy regarding client’s rights, your company’s code of ethics, Workers’ Compensation and HIPAA compliance?
- Can you provide, rent, or sell emergency monitoring systems, medication tracking solutions, or fall detection systems?
- What happens when clients don’t feel good about their assigned caregiver?
- What homecare licenses or certifications do you hold?
- When can your agency provide a free in-home assessment so I can determine whether to work with you?
- What happened when one of your caregivers fell short of client expectations after working with that client for a few weeks, and what did you do about it?
Interview questions for in-home caregivers
- How many years have you been a caregiver and why did you start?
- What type of homecare certification or licenses do you hold?
- What type of support for Activities of Daily Living do you provide, such as bathing, toileting, and medication management?
- What type of support do you provide for other types of activities, such as shopping or medical visits or hobbies and entertainment?
- How do you get to know each unique client and their personal interests and preferences?
- Do you drive clients in your car? What type of car? Can you transport a walker or wheelchair in your car?
- What recreational or cultural activities do you and your clients enjoy?
- Please describe any challenging situation that you’ve had with a past client, and how you managed the situation.
- How many hours per week and which days would you available for me?
- What is your method for tracking and reporting arrival and departure times at a client’s home?
- May I phone or text you any time during the week, or at night, for urgent or emergency reasons?
- How many hours are required at a minimum for a single shift? During a single month?
- What is your backup coverage if you cannot work when scheduled?
- Can you provide a written document describing your care services, rates, and special fees, along with client’s rights, and your HIPAA compliance?
- How much liability coverage do you carry on your business insurance policy?
- Are you bonded?
- Will you provide a free in-home assessment before starting service?
- How soon can you start providing care for me?
- Can you provide 5 personal and professional references?
- Can you help me rent or buy home safety equipment, emergency monitoring systems, medication management devices, or other assistive products and digital apps?