Evaluating Elderly Home Care Providers
The level and type of service offered by elderly home care providers across England and Scotland vary considerably. The majority of home care providers (referred to as domiciliary care providers) are agencies who do not exclusively employ or extensively train their care staff, but simply provide a carer introduction service with some administrative support.
Selecting a home care provider
The following checklist is useful when evaluating elderly home care providers:
- What experience do their carers have?
- What training do their carers receive prior to starting with a client?
- Are their carers trained to support complex conditions, such as dementia or Parkinson’s?
- What are their plans to ensure carers receive on-going training and professional development?
- What happens if there is a problem with the carer?
- Are their carers employed or simply agency staff?
- How do they approach matching carers with clients?
- Do they operate a 24 hour fully managed service, supporting both clients and carers?
- If you are in England ask for a copy of their lastest regulatory inspection report from Care Quality Commission. If you are in Scotland you will need to contact the Scottish Care Inspectorate
- Have they won any industry awards for the quality of home care delivered?
- What support do they provide the family?
- Do they have specialists in complex conditions such as dementia?
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