Choosing an Agency for In-Home Care

There’s no place like home. That’s why most people want to stay there
as they age.

To remain at home gives older people comfort, control, and independence. And that’s especially important when they realize they can’t do it all on their own anymore.

Receiving care at home allows people to get the help they need without having to move. Help in the home can include:

• Household chores, such as cleaning and preparing meals;
• Personal care that is non-medical, such as bathing, dressing, or moving around the house;
• Health and medical care, such as a nurse, a home health aide, or a physical therapist.

Home-care agencies provide homemaker services, which include household and personal care duties, in the home. These agencies may or may not be licensed, depending on the state they operate in.

Home health agencies often provide some or all of the care services mentioned above through teams of doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, homemakers, and others. The agencies are regulated by state and federal laws and often are Medicare- and Medicaid-certified. This means they can get paid by these programs for providing home health services.

You’ll need to consider many points as you prepare to choose an agency for in-home care. See this checklist for the right questions that’ll lead you to the best-quality care available.

Download a checklist to take with you as evaluate different agencies.

© 2003, 2004, 2007 AARP. Reprinting by permission only.