The phone call produces promises. The paper produces obligations. Most families compare two agencies by what they remember hearing, then sign whichever packet arrives first. This sheet works in the other direction: every promise you heard gets checked against a line in writing, and anything without a line gets marked before you decide.
Step 1: Write down each promise as you hear it
During the first call and any in-home visit, write each thing the agency or caregiver says it will do. Use the speaker's own words where you can. Common examples include a backup caregiver within a set time, the same caregiver on the same days, the agency handling scheduling changes, a check-in with your parent, and the ability to change hours. Write them here:
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.
Promise 1: ______________________________________________
Promise 2: ______________________________________________
Promise 3: ______________________________________________
Promise 4: ______________________________________________
Promise 5: ______________________________________________
Step 2: Ask for the written packet before you compare
Ask for four things: the written service description, the fee schedule or quote, the agreement you would sign, and any policy or handbook page that covers schedule changes, substitutions, and cancellations. If the agency publishes these online, note the address of each page. A public page is easier to return to later than a verbal answer. The Sources page explains how this desk handles public pages in general.
Step 3: Mark each promise with one result
Go through your list and read the paragraph that should carry each promise. Mark one of three results next to it:
A - Written, same meaning. The page says what the call said, in terms you could hold them to.
B - Written, different meaning. The page softens or shifts the promise. For example, the call said the same caregiver every week and the page says the agency will try to match caregivers when possible.
C - Not written anywhere. The promise appears only in your notes.
Step 4: Read the gap words in every B line
Softening usually hides in a few words: generally, where available, attempt to, subject to, at our discretion, may, and as needed. Next to each B line, write what the phrase would mean in a bad week, such as the caregiver cancels on a Monday morning. If you cannot tell from the page what happens in that week, the line is a C line for your purposes.
Bad-week test for the B line: ______________________________________________
Step 5: Ask what happens when a written promise fails
For every A and B line, ask one question: if this is not done, what does the paper say the remedy is, and who at the agency has the authority to approve it? Write the answer and the name and role of the person who gave it. If the person cannot be named, or the answer is not on a page, mark the line C.
What to do with the C lines
Do not count an unwritten promise as a commitment. You have two honest options. Ask the agency to add the promise as a signed addendum from someone with authority to make it, or remove the promise from the list of reasons you are choosing that agency. Either way, keep a copy of your list with the packet you received. Questions about what a written term means legally are for whoever reviews contracts for your family, not for the agency.
Signs to walk away
Stop the comparison if the agency says the standard paper cannot be changed and none of your marked lines can be addressed. Stop if the person who made a promise on the call is not the person who will sign or stand behind it. Stop if the only copy offered is a link that can change without notice. Stop if the answer to a C line is that the office has always worked that way, with no page to show it.
Keep the match with the paper
Put your promise list, the marked results, the packet, and the signed page in one folder. Write the day you received each document on its first page. When the caregiver arrives and the first week begins, you will have one place to check what was promised against what was written. The Start Here sheet covers the order of the steps before you sign anything.