Most families compare providers by the phone call, and the phone call only shows how the sales conversation went. The first three days show whether the company can actually staff a house. Before you choose, ask each provider to put a plan for days one, two, and three in writing. Then compare the plans, not the voices.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step 1: Get the day-one plan in writing

  1. Who arrives on the first morning, and at what time.
  2. Who meets the caregiver at the door, and which family member must be present.
  3. What the caregiver receives before the first shift: the care plan, the contact list, and the house rules.
  4. Who the caregiver calls with a question, and whether that number is answered outside office hours.

Write the answer here: ______________________________________________

Step 2: Ask who covers if day two falls through

Ask the provider to name the backup caregiver for day two and to say how the family will learn of the change. A plan that names one person and no backup is a plan with a gap. Write down the name of the backup and the time the family would be told.

Backup caregiver: ______________________ Time family is told: ______________

Step 3: Ask for the end-of-day-one call

  1. Who calls the family at the end of the first shift.
  2. What that person reports: arrival time, meals offered, the parent's mood, anything the caregiver could not complete.
  3. Whether the family is asked to confirm anything before the next shift.

Step 4: Ask for the day-three review

Ask who checks in on day three, whether that person is someone who knows the care plan, and whether the family gets a chance to change the plan before the end of the first week. A provider that cannot name a reviewer has not planned the review.

Day-three reviewer: ______________________ Plan changes allowed by: ______________

What to listen for

A provider who names a person, a backup, and a phone number for each step is writing a real plan. A provider who says they will figure it out when the time comes has not written one. Note whether the same answer comes back when you ask a second time, and whether the person answering knows the caregiver's schedule or only the sales price.

Signs to walk away

  1. The provider will not put the day-one plan in writing.
  2. The only named contact is a salesperson with no role in scheduling.
  3. The answer changes between the first call and the written copy.

Compare the blanks

Lay the four answers from each provider in the same order on your own page. Count the blanks. Do not rank providers by the blank count alone. Use the blanks to decide which questions to take back to each provider before you sign anything. The agency or direct comparison page explains the two main ways these plans are set up.