Choosing a home care provider…it’s about more than just money
You’ve finally been assigned your home care package and you now have 56 days to nominate a home care provider to be responsible for administering your home care package funds. The fees charged by home care package providers are deducted from your home care package but there’s more to the decision than just their fees.
Flexibility
Do you want a provider who employs their own direct care staff, one who has relationships with a range of service providers that they trust and regularly use or do you want to find your own care delivery staff and advise the home care provider of who you want? Most providers will have a primary business model. If you think that one particular option is better suited to you, ask the provider how they operate.
Communication
Most home care providers will come to visit you in your home initially. After that initial meeting, what do you need? Are you confident that you can manage your care goals and needs and do most of your communication online? Some providers offer a low cost administration model based on you doing most of the leg work. At the other end, if you have complex or changing needs or you prefer to build a long term personal relationship with someone who gets to know you and can assist you to anticipate your changing needs, you might want someone local to you who can give you regular face to face assistance.
Quality
How do they monitor the skills & standards of their workers or contracted staff. What is their feedback process? What is the process if you are not happy with the service provider or staff who are delivering your services?
Fees and charges
Home care providers all have their own business and pricing models so understanding what the actual fees and charges are can be a challenge. The percentage for core advisory or case management is just one fee to consider. Also ask about entry and exit fees, booking and cancellation fees, limits on case management or other services and what happens after the limits are reached. Do they charge the daily care fee, under what circumstances it can be waived or put on hold and if it’s not being charged, for what term does this apply.
Service delivery costs
There can be significant variations in the cost of getting the same service into the home and getting quotes on some of the core services you will regularly be using will help to determine how many hours of direct care you might get. Remember to weigh it up with booking and cancellation fees.
From self-managed options to a fully managed personal service model there a will be a home care provider that’s right for you. Karista can help you to get accurate and relevant information to assist you to make the right choice for you.
