Since 2024, an average of 11,200 people reach age 65 every day. As more Americans enter their later years, many families are finding themselves facing an important question: How can we help mom or dad remain safely and comfortably at home?
For families who need additional support, home care can provide an alternative to assisted living or a nursing home while allowing a loved one to remain in a familiar environment. Understanding how the home care process can help families feel more prepared when they need for care arises.
Starting with a Discovery Call
The first step is typically an initial discovery call with a home care company. The primary objective is to establish the level and amount of care the client needs, as well as how the services will be paid for.
The first step of the process is the initial discovery call. The primary objective for the home care company is to establish the level and amount of care that the client needs, as well as how the client is going to pay for services. Information about daily routines, personality traits, and assistance required with activities of daily living including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, continence, will help the home care company determine the appropriate level of support and begin working toward staffing a suitable caregiver.
Establishing the payor source is also an important part of the initial conversation. The client may pay for services out of pocked or utilize a long-term care insurance policy. Many home care companies have back-office insurance teams that can review policy benefits and determine whether the agency can bill the insurance company directly once services begin.
The In-Home Assessment
After the discovery call, an in-home assessment is scheduled. A Clinical Manager, who is a licensed RN, visits the client’s home to evaluate their physical and cognitive health and better understand their daily routines.
The Clinical Manager will also evaluate the home for safety and provide recommendations for medical equipment when appropriate. During this visit, the care plan is developed that outlines the weekly schedule and the caregiver tasks that will be performed during each shift.
Ideally, the service agreement is finalized during this visit so that care can begin within 24-48 hours.
Finding the Right Caregiver
Once the assessment is complete, the Clinical Manager provides the staffing department with the necessary information, including the schedule and shift times, required physical care, and skills needed to safely care for the client.
The staffing department then works to match caregivers based on availability necessary physical skills, location, and travel time. These considerations can help ensure that the caregiver is able to reliably cover the scheduled shifts.
Once a caregiver is staffed, the Clinical Manager reviews the client’s background and care plan with the caregiver. This helps ensure the caregiver is comfortable with the level of care required and that their skills align with the client’s physical needs.
Starting Care and Ongoing Support
The client and family are contacted to confirm that a caregiver or caregivers have been found and that all shifts are staffed. The start-of-care date is established, and an agency supervisor or Clinical Manager will often accompany the caregiver during the first visit to help make the transition more comfortable for the client, family and caregiver.
Care does not end once a caregiver is in place. Ongoing reassessments, typically every 60-90 days, allow the Clinical Manager to update the care plan, address changing care needs, and ensure that the client’s needs continue to be met.
Home care agencies are also typically available 24 hours a day, allowing client emergencies or questions to be addressed whenever they arise.
Planning Ahead
The need for home care can arise gradually or unexpectedly, but understanding the process ahead of time can make an otherwise overwhelming situation feel much more manageable. From determining the appropriate level of care to understanding how services will be paid for and finding the right caregiver, each step plays an important role in creating a plan that supports both the client and their family.
For families who are beginning to think about long-term care, there is value in starting the conversation before care becomes an immediate need. Taking the time to understand the options, review available resources, and think through what would work best for the family can help make the transition smoother when the time comes.
Ultimately, planning for care is about more than preparing for a potential change in circumstances. It is about helping loved ones maintain their comfort, independence, and quality of life for as long as possible, while giving families greater confidence in navigating the road ahead.
Important Disclosures