A website can say anything. A family that has already paid the bill can tell you what the invoice looked like, who answered the phone, and what happened the first time a shift fell through. Ask for that call before you sign.

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.

Ask for two families

Ask the agency for the names of two families it has served for at least a few months. Ask whether those families agreed to be called. If the office will not share a single contact, write that down. Silence on this question is a finding, the same as an agency that does not publish rates.

The five questions

Keep the call short. Ask these in order:

  • Did the first invoice match the quote you were given? If not, what changed, and did anyone tell you before it arrived?
  • When something went wrong, who did you call, and how long did it take to reach someone who could act?
  • When a caregiver was late or did not come, what happened next, and how fast was the gap filled?
  • Did the same people come to the house, or did the faces change?
  • What would you change about the agency first?

How to read the answers

Specific answers beat warm ones. 'They were great' tells you nothing. 'The office called back within the hour and the replacement arrived that afternoon' tells you how the place actually runs. A family that goes quiet on the money question is giving you the same information as a website with no rates on it.

Do not average the two calls. One bad week still counts. Ask directly about the worst week each family remembers, because that is the week you will be living through if the arrangement fails.

Put the calls next to the quote

Take the answers and line them up against the written quote. Every fee the family mentioned should appear on the quote. Every promise a family says the office made should appear in writing. If it does not, ask the agency to put it in writing before you sign. For the lines to check on the paper itself, read How to Read a Home Care Quote first.

Last, respect what the families told you. Do not repeat their names or their house details to the agency. Keep the notes for yourself.