Questions to ask before hiring in-home help

Start by writing down what you need help with

It is easier to compare options when you know what you are asking for. Family Caregiver Alliance describes four areas to think through: personal care, household care, health care, and emotional care or companionship.

A plain task list, with days and hours, gives every agency or helper the same starting point. Some families add a line about what the person receiving care likes: quiet or conversation, a morning routine, a favorite show.

Questions you may want to ask an agency

The Family Caregiver Alliance fact sheet on hiring in-home help lists key questions for agencies. It also suggests asking an agency to send a packet describing its services, fees, and references, so you can read it before talking. Some questions you may want to ask:

• Is the agency licensed by the state, and how long has it been in business?
• Do you run background checks on the people you send?
• Are the workers employees of the agency, or contractors? What does the agency cover, such as insurance?
• Can you show us proof of that insurance?
• How do you train, supervise, and check in on your workers?
• If our regular person is sick or away, who covers?
• If we are not comfortable with someone, can you send someone else?
• Can you send your fees, services, and references in writing?

Questions you may want to ask an individual helper

If someone is being considered on their own rather than through an agency, the same fact sheet suggests these questions. They are meant to be asked of the helper, and of the people who know their work.

• What are your credentials, and who can confirm them?
• Where have you worked before, and can we speak with two or three references?
• What training do you have for the tasks the care team has described?
• What has your experience been with the kind of care we need?
• What happens on days you are sick or cannot come?

Questions about cost, coverage, and paperwork

CareKeeper cannot say what anything costs or what is covered. Those answers depend on the place, the plan, and the situation, and they change.

The NIA worksheet on questions to ask before hiring a care provider is a printable place to collect information about services, fees, terms, and restrictions for each option you are considering. For coverage questions, ask the insurer or plan directly, and your local Area Agency on Aging. The Eldercare Locator can help you find yours.

Paying a helper directly can raise tax and employment questions. A qualified professional is the right person to ask about those.

Records worth keeping in the binder

Once someone is helping, a few pages in the care binder save everyone from guessing later. Pencil is fine.

• The answers you were given, with the date and who gave them
• The agency or helper's name, phone number, and a backup contact
• Copies of anything in writing: fee sheets, schedules, agreements
• Names and numbers of the references you called, and when
• The task list you gave them, and any changes to it
• A running list of questions for the next conversation