Getting an aide through the front door is a short process with real steps. Each step carries a risk, and each step needs an owner. Most families skip the process because it looks obvious. Then the first visit fails at the door. Walk the steps in order before the first shift.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step one: write the access request

Put the request in writing. Say who the aide is, which days and times they will come, and how they will get in. Ask the agency to confirm the request and name the person who receives it. A request that lives only in a phone call is easy to lose.

Step two: pick the entry method

Choose one main method and write it down. A spare key handed over in person is one route. A keypad code is another. A lockbox with a code is a third. A trusted neighbor, or a family member who meets the aide at the door, is a fourth. Each route has a different owner and a different failure mode. A keypad code needs a change plan. A lockbox needs a location the aide can find without help. A neighbor needs a backup for the days the neighbor is away.

Step three: make the copies and log them

Decide how many copies exist and who holds each one. Ask whether the agency keeps a log of who received a key or code and when it changed hands. Keep your own list too. The list should name the holder, the item, and the place it is kept. Do not send that list by text message.

Step four: test the entry before the first solo visit

Have the aide come once while you or another adult is present. Test the key, the code, or the lockbox. Walk the route from the car or the bus stop to the door. If there is an alarm, get the arming and disarming steps in writing, and test them with the aide present. Fix the problem that day, not on the day the aide is standing outside.

Step five: set the change rule

A new aide means an access change. Ask how the agency reports a new aide, how fast the access gets updated, and who confirms the update. Ask what happens to a copy when an aide leaves the agency. Write the answers into your agreement.

Step six: plan the failed entry

Something will go wrong eventually. The lockbox sticks, the code is wrong, or the key is in the wrong pocket. Name the first call and the second call for a failed entry. Ask how fast the agency responds and what the aide does while waiting. Put both names on the sheet beside the door.

Close the process out

When service stops, the access process runs in reverse. Keys come back, codes change, and lockboxes get emptied and reset. Name who handles each step before you need it.

Access checklist

  • Written request, with the agency's confirmation on file
  • One chosen entry method, with a named holder for each copy
  • A log of every key or code, kept by you and by the agency
  • A tested entry with the aide present, including any alarm steps
  • A written rule for what changes when the aide changes
  • Two named calls for a failed entry