Careswitch | Home Care Industry FAQs

Question 1

What are some ways I can improve the scheduling processes in my agency?

Brett Ringold · Accepted Answer

Scheduling is one of the core processes at the heart of a home are agency. As such, it’s one of the most essential workflows to get down to a science.This piece will walk you through various schedule optimization tips throughout the process, which our team divides into three phases: pre-scheduling, scheduling, and post-scheduling.We’ll be drawing heavily from an interview with Brett Ringold, VP of A Long Term Companion and a member of the Home Care Association of America Board; those familiar with our content will recognize him as a frequent flyer on our podcast, webinars, and other articles.The best way to explain Brett’s expertise (which comes from experience in every role at a home care agency as a well as a recipient of home care himself) is that if scheduling is like solving a Rubik’s... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Question 2

Should I pay my caregivers for time spent on training if I'm not legally required to?

Becki Harrington-Davis · Accepted Answer

Short answer: Yes.Here’s why:#1: You want caregivers to take training seriously.Caregiver training is not just checking a box for compliance purposes—it’s critical skill building. You want to ensure that you’re fulfilling your company&#x27;s promise to provide the highest quality care. And that means employing caregivers who are trained and qualified in the skills and knowledge to provide that care. By paying for training, you are setting the expectation that caregivers will give training their full attention and do their best work—just as you expect when they’re working in a client’s home.#2: You’re competing for employees.With steep competition from other agencies, as well as other industries such as retail and restaurants, it’s often a struggle for home care agencies to keep candidates ... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Question 3

How do I know if I should fire a client?

Brett Ringold · Accepted Answer

As home care agency owners, the concept of firing a client practically goes against everything that we believe to be true.After all, we are in a service industry, and so we’re committed to providing exceptional care to each and every client that we serve. And in many ways, telling an elderly client that we are no longer able to help them can feel like we’re letting them down.Even when we take emotions out of the equation and put on our objective small business owner hat, we never want to voluntarily turn away a sales opportunity.But part of being a good business person is also being aware of our limitations. We must recognize that not every client is going to be a good fit for us and vice versa.Unfortunately, knowing when it’s time to fire a client is rarely cut and dry.Sure, there are som... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Question 4

What's the best way to tell our clients that we're increasing our rates?

Adam Corcoran · Accepted Answer

Here's a template letter you can use to inform clients about a rate increase.You can copy and paste the text below or click here to download the letter as a Word Document. Beyond filling in the blank fields, we encourage you to personalize it as much as possible.Dear [client's name],On behalf of the team we want to thank you for being a valued client. We strive to provide the highest level of home care services in our area and we hope we are meeting your needs. is committed to growth and development in the home care industry and we are pleased to announce some exciting advancements within our agency.As you may know, our hiring process is rigorous and we aim to hire the most qualified Home Health Aides and Certified N... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Question 5

If there's an incident and the client and the caregiver disagree over what happened, what should I do?

Greg Coopman · Accepted Answer

The phone rings, and Mrs. Smith’s daughter is calling to accuse her mother’s caregiver of stealing jewelry out of the jewelry box on Mrs. Smith’s nightstand.As time goes on throughout your home care journey, you will ask ‘What really happened?’ on many different occasions. And more so, as a leader, you are often expected or even required to take action.It could be an accusation of theft. An issue with client/caregiver boundaries. The caregiver brought their child to work. The client was inappropriate towards the caregiver. The client has bruises all over and the family claims it is the caregiver’s fault. Etc.The list is truly never-ending.What really happened? And what should you do about it?If there is an incident and there is a disagreement between the client and the caregiver over what ... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Question 6

What should be included in a new client assessment?

Miriam Allred · Accepted Answer

I’ve spent the last few weeks exploring client intake and assessment processes with a handful of well-known, highly-successful agencies. Interestingly, their processes and how/when they collect the information vary quite a bit.Based on the experience, I’ve compiled a comprehensive new client assessment workflow that could work well for anyone building this process in their own agency or looking for ways to streamline their existing process.One caveat to remember is that your state may have other specific requirements.A quick overview of typical client assessment documents and when you complete them:New Client Inquiry - phone call / website inquiryClient Intake Form/Pre-Care Assessment - can be sent electronically and filled out by the client/family OR completed over the phone by a member o... Click to view the full answer from our home care industry expert.

Home Care Owner FAQs