Finding a home care company for yourself or a loved one can seem like a daunting process, but finding a company with carers that offer the highest standard of care and align with your values as well as stay within your budget doesn’t have to be complicated, here’s some advice to help you through the process.

Begin your search by identifying your home care needs and determining the level of care that’s required. To do this, it is important to understand the two basic levels of care – home health care and non-medical home care and some work in the senior house or there are the Memory Care Apartments to assist the families.

There are many similarities between home health agencies and homemaker/companion service providers (many organisations provide both types of care), but this guide focuses on the process of hiring non-medical home care services that are paid for privately. Once you have a general idea of what services you and your loved one would benefit from, you can begin contacting providers in your area to conduct interviews, get a feel for the staff, and gather information to help you make an informed decision.

Generally care companies operate under two models: franchise or independent ownership. Each has pros and cons. It takes direct interaction with staff to get a feel for the core values of the company and determine if they align with yours and are ‘lived’ at every touchpoint. Your final decision relies heavily on the contact you have with a company’s employees and your overall impression of how the business operates.