Figuring out how to choose a home care agency for your loved one can feel daunting. It requires significant preparation, and it doesn’t come with a how-to guide. Here, we offer some food for thought to consider throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the agency selection process. Our aim is to equip you with the necessary questions to ask both yourself and agencies that will help you make informed choices about home care for your loved one.
How to prepare before contacting agencies
Establish needs
Before reaching out to any home care agencies, your first step should be creating a comprehensive list of needs. Does your loved one require medical care, like intravenous therapy or catheter maintenance? Or would they be better suited with a companion who assists with home maintenance and self-care? What about memory care? Are they exhibiting mild cognitive decline, or symptoms of mid- to late-stage dementia? Do they need someone there overnight to assist with pain relief, wandering, or toileting? Do they need care 24/7?
Be sure to consult the care recipient as well. What does your loved one think? What do they want? Being thoughtful about your requirements will help an agency match you with a caregiver whose experience aligns with your needs and preferences.
Ask for recommendations
After establishing what care looks like to you, asking trusted community members for recommendations can help you narrow down which agencies you want to contact (and which you might want to steer clear of). Friends, family, and neighbors can provide personal accounts or connect you with a mutual friend. Additionally, medical professionals often have agencies that they trust and can connect you with. Ask your doctor if they can recommend an agency that meets your needs.
Questions to ask when contacting agencies
Once you’ve identified needs and preferences and received recommendations from trusted sources, the next step is creating a list of questions to ask agencies when you contact them.
With home care agencies, regulatory bodies, caregiver background standards, and minimum policies can all vary. It’s critical to ensure that the agency you choose is qualified, selective, and in it for the right reasons.
Do they belong to any supervisory associations?
In the state of Arizona, licensing by the Arizona Department of Health Services for non-medical home care agencies is not required. The de facto regulatory body in Arizona is the Arizona In-Home Care Association (AZNHA), but registration is voluntary. The agencies that do not elect to register are not subject to the association’s guidelines, which include mandatory face-to-face interviews, background checks, and more.
Home care agencies in Arizona are required by law to disclose their background check practices, any criminal history, and the training each caregiver receives. However, just because they must disclose this information doesn’t mean that they’re doing what they say. This is where the Arizona In-Home Care Association’s involvement becomes crucial, as it requires members to adhere to their ethical standards. If you’re seeking non-medical care specifically, ask the agency who they’re regulated by.
How are caregivers screened, trained, and matched?
The quality of an agency’s caregivers is arguably the most important aspect of this decision. They’re the ones in the home, after all.
Ensure that the agencies you’re considering perform background checks and drug/TB screenings on every caregiver. Ask about their training process and make sure it’s in alignment with your needs — especially if you are seeking 24/7 or memory care. Lastly, confirm that caregivers are CPR and First Aid certified.
After understanding the hard qualifications of an agency’s caregivers, asking about their matching process can also tell you about the type of care you’ll receive. Will your loved one see the same caregiver every time? Or does the agency post shifts and assign them to the first employee to pick it up?
It’s worth noting that having your loved one see the same caregiver can benefit them immensely. It allows them to build trust, enhancing the therapeutic relationship. If they’re experiencing cognitive decline, a familiar face reduces confusion and stress. The caregiver also learns your loved one’s tendencies and habits, enabling them to quickly identify potential problems before they escalate.
Are there minimums?
It’s easy to measure an agency’s tangible qualities, but how do you measure their values? One way is by making note of their policy on minimums. With home care, it shouldn’t be about what’s easiest for the agency: it should be about what’s easiest for you. Agencies trying to make things easy for you will work with your needs and schedule, not require you to bill a minimum number of hours or days per week.
Reflecting after contacting agencies
Having these conversations with agencies can feel overwhelming, and it’s worth taking time to reflect on how you feel following your conversations. Would you trust this person, or someone associated with them, to care for your loved one? Were they knowledgeable about the industry? Did you learn something new? Did they carry themselves in a professional, timely, and organized manner? Were they an active listener? Professionalism and compassion in early stages are massive indicators of the way an agency is managed and, therefore, the quality of care you will receive.
The most important question to ask yourself after chatting with a home care agency is whether they really have your best interest at heart. Did you feel like they wanted to help you find the solution that best fits your needs? Or did you feel like they were trying to sell you a pre-packaged offering? Were they seeking to understand your needs and crafting a personalized solution? Or were they pitching their solution and trying to convince you that you fit into their box?
Seeking out care for your loved one can be taxing. From trying to decide if it’s time, to approaching the conversation with them, it’s often a strenuous undertaking. But the right solution should remove stress from your lives and your relationship — not add to it. By equipping yourself with knowledge and questions, you’re already closer to finding the solution that fits.
As an agency that was founded by a family who navigated this process, our mission is to fill in the gaps that we personally experienced. Contact us today to learn more about what professional in-home care looks like when it’s made for you.
FAQ
What’s the difference between medical and non-medical home care?
Non-medical home care typically entails services such as transportation, companionship, meal preparation, appointment facilitation, and assistance with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, toileting, dressing). Medical home care typically offers these services as well as clinical care, which can include intravenous therapy, catheter maintenance, wound care, and medication management. It’s also worth noting that receiving in-home care offers specific benefits including stronger familial relationships, improved cognition, and maintained independence.
What is the average cost of home care in Arizona in 2026?
Cost often depends on the level of care. According to InHomeCareofAZ.com, the average agency rate is about $38 per hour with high-acuity care averaging about $45+ per hour.
How do I know if a home care agency is the right fit?
Beyond credentials and caregiver qualifications, notice the way you feel after talking with an agency. Did they ask thoughtful questions? Did they reduce your stress? Did they speak clearly and with professionalism? The way you feel after talking with an agency can be a strong indicator of the care they provide.
Is my loved one ready for home care?
Signs your loved one could benefit from home care include falling, loneliness, cognitive decline, and financial mismanagement. If you’re a family caregiver, learning about caregiver burnout can help you decide if you need some outside help, even if your loved one’s condition hasn’t changed.
