You have a short list. You are close to signing. This sheet is for the one step most families skip: a reference call that asks for specifics instead of impressions.

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: Ask for two references you can actually reach

  1. Ask the provider for two families who used its caregivers in the past, and ask for families whose care has ended as well as families still using it.
  2. If the provider will not give a reference, or offers only its own staff, write that down before you go further.
  3. Ask how you will reach each family. A phone number that goes to an office does not count as a reference.

Write here: Reference 1 name and how reached: ______________________ Reference 2 name and how reached: ______________________

Step 2: Ask four questions on every call

  1. How long did the caregiver stay with your family, and what ended the arrangement?
  2. Which tasks did you handle yourself, and which did the caregiver handle?
  3. When a shift was missed or late, how did you find out, and how fast was it covered?
  4. Would you hire the same caregiver again, and what would you change about how the arrangement was run?

Step 3: Listen for process, not personality

A useful answer names a step: a phone call at a set time, a written note left in the house, a replacement sent by a set hour. A reference who says only that the caregiver was kind has told you one thing. Ask the follow-up question again: what happened the last time something went wrong?

Step 4: Know the signs to walk away

  • The provider will not give a reference you can reach.
  • Every reference is a staff member or someone the provider picked for you without a stated reason.
  • No reference can describe how a missed shift was handled.
  • The answers are general praise with no example you can check.

Write here after each call: Family name: ______ Process they described: ______________________ Gap or concern: ______________________

A reference call does not replace the other checks. Confirm the background check and insurance questions separately. For how this desk reviews its sources, see How We Write the Sheets. For local resources while you compare, see Local Help for Hiring a Caregiver.