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Home Care

Choosing a Home Care Company
With all the home care organizations out there, how do you determine which one is right for you?

First Question to Ask: Is their staff employed or contracted?
If the agency is not the caregiver's employer than you are. That means payroll taxes, social security and medicare, Workers Comp Ins., following labor law, and more for you to deal with. This is a most important issue.

Second Question to Ask: What type of certification do they have? Are they CAHSAH certified? CAHSAH is the California Association of Health Services at Home and is the leading statewide home care association in the nation and the voice of home care for the western United States. CAHSAH represents more than 400 members and 750 offices that are direct providers of health, supportive services and products in the home. Certification requires:

1. Proof of current liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate.
2. Proof of current worker's compensation insurance covering all employees
3. Proof of a pre-employment background clearance on eac h individual hired as a home care aid.
   

Or perhaps they are with The American Board of Home Care who has similar requirements.

Thirdly:
If the answers to the previous questions are "no" then what type of employee screening do they do? Are their staff contracted or actual employees? Are they insured? Bonded? How is staff supervised? What safe guards are in place to protect your loved ones and their home? Remember, although caregivers can be expensive, you get what you pay for. There is no regulation of Home Care in the state of California. So you must be an educated and wary consumer. You take a huge risk of theft, abuse, and injury bringing anyone into your home.

If you must hire from outside an agency require that they get their fingerprints done at the police station and provide you with a DMV record. If they refuse, find someone else. You'll also want to be sure you call all their references - ask for at least three. Be sure these references are not friends or relatives, but actual clients or reputable contacts. If you choose to hire on your own, you then become their employer and are responsible for employment taxes.

Please take every precaution possible. Seniors can be very gullible and often easily persuaded. Starfish Resources has done the preliminary investigative steps for you on many home care agencies and only work with Certified Home Care Companies. We stand behind our recommendations.

Preferred Home Care Companies

Because I believe in choice and because all agencies are different, I work with several Home Care companies. I can help you find the right one for you. Contact me for more information.