Most families read the hourly rate and the minimum hours. Fewer read the lines for the things the work uses up. A caregiver who runs out of cleaning product on a Tuesday will either stop working or spend their own money, and the paperwork decides which one happens. Check the supplies line the same way you check the rate.

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: List what the work uses

  1. Write down every consumable the house will need for the tasks in your plan. Cleaning products: ____ Personal care items: ____ Gloves or disposables: ____ Kitchen items: ____ Other: ____
  2. Mark which items your parent already keeps in the house and which the family has never bought for care work.
  3. Mark anything that is a medicine or a medical item. Those stay with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. Keep them off the caregiver's supply list.

Step 2: Read the quote for the supplies line

  • Is there a supplies line at all? If the quote is silent, ask for the answer in writing.
  • Is supply cost included in the rate, billed on top, or charged as needed? Write which one.
  • Is there a ceiling? Write the number, or write none and treat that as open-ended spending.
  • Who buys, who keeps receipts, and how is the family repaid? Write the route step by step.
  • Can the caregiver bring their own supplies, and does the family pay for them?

Step 3: Check the agreement for the same words

Look in the caregiver agreement for the words supplies, materials, as needed, and reimburse. Make sure the agreement and the quote say the same thing. If they differ, the agreement is what the family will be held to later, so fix the difference before you sign.

What to ask before you sign

  • Who restocks the house when a product runs out in the middle of a shift?
  • Where are the supplies kept, and who has a key to that cupboard?
  • How long will the family have to approve a supply purchase?

Walk away when

  • The answer to who pays is that you will work it out later.
  • The supplies line says as needed with no ceiling and no receipt rule.

The sources behind these checks are listed on Sources, and the way this desk writes its sheets is on How We Write the Sheets.