If a privately retained home care provider isn't providing much more than what you can receive from your province's federally funded system, then what's the point? Here's a couple of questions you should ask a potential home care service.
Are You an Individual or an Organization?
Whom you're dealing with isn't always apparent. Some individuals present themselves as an organization. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with hiring an individual for home care, it's not something you should consider lightly.
It's usually better to seek out organizations. An organization that's a part of an association will have very stringent guidelines and standards, which is something you want. It would mean each member of the organization has gone through training, evaluation, and continuing education.
In either case, you should also ask about certifications, training, education, insurance, hiring processes, experience, and anything else pertaining to the service. Yes, those are all questions in and of themselves, but they all fall under the same category. Ask away.
What Services do You Provide?
Asking for the services provides is important. You have to match your precise needs with the offered services. This takes a little self-evaluation as well.
- Do you need a few days a week?
- Do you need nighttime care but not daytime care?
- Do you need someone who can go shopping for you?
If a service isn't listed, then ask.
It's just as important to ask what a service provider won't do. It's impossible to list the minutia of every single service provided. Some things just might not make the list. But it doesn't mean the provider won't do it.
For example, walking the dog may not show up in the literature, but it's possible your provider will do it. However, there are some things some providers absolutely won't do. Make sure to ask about it.
Of course, the question about services will lead to other questions. You're going to want to know the particulars of each service, like how they're carried out and whether the services happen under supervision. You'll want to know things like how the service chooses the individual to carry out those actions. As you see, questions lead to questions. And there's nothing wrong with that. Keep asking.
Only Two Questions?
So saying there's only two questions is a little disingenuous. But you can use these questions to springboard the conversation into others. Asking questions is important. The more you ask, the better the choice you can make for your home health care provider.
There's no such thing as too many questions. Ask until you're satisfied. A professional home health organization, like Anson CareGivers Inc, will have no problem answering them.
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