Home Care Owner FAQs
We've brought together a team of educators and home care experts to answer the burning questions that you and every home care owner will ask at some point.
Jeff Wiberg President of the Home Care Association of America board and CEO of Family Resource Home Care
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Debbie Miller Former pharma sales rep who built a $10M home care company and founded 52 Weeks Marketing
Debbie Miller Former pharma sales rep who built a $10M home care company and founded 52 Weeks Marketing
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Mark Johnson EA specializing in home care agencies
Jason Chagnon CEO of Home Care Marketing Pros; digital marketing consultant to senior care businesses
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Becki Harrington-Davis Senior Content Marketing Manager at CareAcademy
Sabrina Sattler Account Executive at Careswitch, home care agency advisor specializing in startup success and longevity
Ilya Vakhutinsky Careswitch CEO, home health aide's son, Forbes 30 Under 30, caregiver advocate
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Rachel Gartner Former home care recruiter who was so successful that she founded her own recruitment firm (Carework)
Gregg Mazza Founded a home care agency, almost ran out of capital after two years, figured things out and scaled past $5M
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Erica Horner Home care sales consultant & project manager at corecubed
Erica Horner Home care sales consultant & project manager at corecubed
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Angelo Spinola Home health, home care and hospice chair at Polsinelli
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Adam Corcoran Director of Business Development at Golden Care, owner of Home Care Flyers, helped build a multimillion dollar agency from the ground up
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Greg Coopman President at SeniorCareCX
Miriam Allred Head of Partnerships @Careswitch, former host of Vision: The Home Care Leaders Podcast
Brian Cottone Jr. Benefits expert at VItable Health
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Jeremy Fuller Managing Director of Grow Home Care Marketing; website, SEO, and digital marketing expert
Julio Briones Home care consultant specializing in helping 7-figure home care agencies grow
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
If there's an incident and the client and the caregiver disagree over what happened, what should I do?
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 happened, it is important to gather as much information as possible to try to determine what actually occurred. This can involve conducting interviews with both the client, the caregiver, and anyone else involved. Reviewing information, records, etc. And gathering any other relevant information.
It is important to remain neutral and avoid taking sides in the dispute. Your role is to investigate the incident and determine the facts, rather than to make a judgement about who is right or wrong.
Once you have gathered all the relevant information, you can work to determine an appropriate resolution.
A simple 3-step process everyone can follow, is to always take the time to S.I.T. after first learning of an incident that occurred.
1. Set expectations with the client and the caregiver.
Be empathetic. Communicate the process that you are going to follow. Be clear of the steps that you are going to take. And reassure all involved that you will communicate as much as possible along the way, and that you will be doing everything you can to come to the best resolution.
2. Investigate
Listen. Ask clarifying and detailed questions. Get all sides of the story, for any potential person involved. Dates, times, people present during shift, people present before and after shift, etc. In this step, we are looking for the facts. Also, it is important to note while investigating an incident, any history of memory or cognitive impairment for the client involved. For example, often with theft allegations, this is an important fact to note. Document your investigation and the steps you are taking along the way.
3. Take action.
Once you have finished investigating and gathering facts, it is time to act. Often times this may require reporting to governmental or licensing bodies, depending on the incident.
Obviously, different incidents and scenarios have different levels of urgency and prioritization.
If it is a legal, health or safety matter; you likely have a set of protocols to follow that have been outlined by your state or local licensing or governmental body. (Example: In Colorado we have 24 hours to report any SUSPECTED neglect or abuse. An accusation doesn’t even have to be made.)
This may impact the speed and timeline in which you need to find a resolution and take action.
Lastly, it is important to be realistic and acknowledge that you may not ever know the full extent of what actually happened. The resolution at the end of the day may simply be apologizing to your client and asking, ‘what else can I do to make things right?’; while taking no further actions with your caregiver.
Trust your gut. Do what’s right. Follow your policies and procedures. Minimize your risk and exposure. Follow your local laws and regulations.
And remember, you can still be intentional about delivering a World-Class Experience for all involved, even when navigating a delicate scenario.