Home Care: Expectations vs. Reality

               When meeting with potential clients, we often hear phrases like: “I’m new to home care so I’m not completely sure what I’ll need.” or “We don’t know what to expect, we just know we need the help.” Even those who have worked with other home care agencies in the past have to adapt to a new company and their ways of conducting business. We’re here to help you know what you can realistically expect in terms of home care.

Caregivers

Expectation:
Sometimes clients expect to interview their caregivers and choose who they want from those interviewed.

Reality:

An agency takes the burden of interviewing and screening potential caregivers off the shoulders of the client. We interview, conduct background checks, and train the caregivers that will be going into clients’ homes. During the initial consultation we learn what clients need from the caregivers and the kind of characteristics they’re looking for in them. We then use that information to find the best fit for you and encourage both employees and clients to let us know if they don’t feel it’s the right fit. We feel confident that we are building a competent and caring team that can help you or your loved ones in a variety of situations.

Scheduling

Expectation:

You will start off with the same caregiver coming at the same day and same time every visit.

Reality:

When a new client starts, there are a lot of factors taken into consideration that go into scheduling. Flexibility, frequency of services, caregiver availability, client requirements for caregivers, etc. The more advance notice we get before the start of services the better. It is also helpful if you have a certain amount of flexibility for when you can be seen. These factors make it more possible to quickly find a consistent caregiver, but there may be a period before that where there are different caregivers coming while we’re working to find the perfect match/matches for you.

Training

Expectation:

All caregivers coming into the home with be CNA certified.

Reality:

A majority of our caregivers are CNA certified, but it is not a requirement for employment with us. This does not mean that they aren’t capable of providing the same quality care as someone who is certified. If caregivers are not CNAs, we put them through an online training course on top of their annual education courses. We also provide hands-on training in the office and send new employees to train at personal care shifts before working by themselves.

We are dedicated to being the best home care provider and employer out there. We work hard to ensure that needs are met and encourage both clients and caregivers to come to us with feedback, questions, and compliments. For more information, give us a call today at 605-275-2344 or visit our website at korecares.com.