Free Guide - What I wish I knew before starting care for my loved one.

12 Questions to Ask Any Home Care Agency (Including Us) Choosing care for someone you love is hard. These questions make any agency show you who they really are.

1. What happens when my caregiver calls off sick?

Call-offs are a matter of when, not if. A real answer names actual people and a backup plan — not “we’ll do our best.”

2. Do you have the right caregiver available right now — or will you start recruiting after I sign?

Some agencies sign families first and scramble to staff the case later. Make them tell you who is ready today.

3. Will we meet the caregiver before care starts — and can we request a change?

The friendly person doing your assessment is not the caregiver. The caregiver is who matters. Meet them first. With us we will likely be your caregiver at first. We work homes first so we give you best fit, not just available.

4. How long has the caregiver you’d assign us been with you?

Caregiver turnover in this industry is very high. “A few weeks” is a different answer than “two years.”

5. Are your caregivers employees or 1099 contractors?

Employees mean workers’ comp, supervision, and accountability. With contractors, if someone is hurt or something goes missing in your home, the problem can become yours.

6. What training do caregivers get — when hired and ongoing?

Ask specifically about safe transfers, dementia care, and CPR. Most falls and injuries happen during transfers. “They’re experienced” is not training.

7. When the caregiver notices something off, who do they call — and is a nurse available to them in real time? Your caregiver is the eyes and ears.

A caregiver who can reach a clinical person the moment Mom “seems different” can catch a problem days before it becomes a hospital stay.

8. Is the person who manages and schedules the caregivers an experienced caregiver herself?

If the office has never done the work, they can’t tell a great caregiver from a warm body — and they can’t spot trouble in a shift report.

9. How will I know what happened on each shift? Ask to see a real care note.

If there’s no written record and no regular updates, you’ll only hear about problems after they’re big.

10. Who answers the phone at 9 p.m. on a Saturday?

An answering service and an owner’s cell phone are very different things. Ask for the actual name of who picks up.

11. What are your caregivers NOT allowed to do?

In Ohio, non-medical caregivers may assist with medications but cannot administer them. An agency that promises everything is either being dishonest or cutting corners.

12. Before I pay privately — will you help me check whether something else could cover this?

Ohio’s PASSPORT program, VA Aid & Attendance for veterans and surviving spouses, and long-term care insurance help more families than people realize. An honest agency checks before selling you hours.

Even if you don’t choose Silk, call us anyway. We’ll help you make sense of what the other agencies are telling you — free, no pressure. We’re a husband-and-wife company, and we’d rather you get the right care than just get a contract.

Silk In-Home Care Susan & Ehren Lowers • 740-245-1051 • www.silkllcoh.com

Family-owned • Serving Ross, Jackson, Gallia, Pike & Vinton Counties • Private-pay care across Southern Ohio