Start on the agency's own website, not on the phone. A website is the one place where an agency speaks without a salesperson leaning in, so it shows you how the agency treats money before anyone asks.
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.
Five questions to put to every site
First, does the site say how it bills? Look for the unit of billing, such as the hour or the shift, and check that the unit is named in plain words.
Second, does it say what the rate covers? Check whether travel, weekend time, and schedule changes are listed as their own lines or left out entirely.
Third, does it say how the price changes over time? If the site is silent on changes, write down that silence.
Fourth, does it say who you pay, how you pay, and what paperwork you sign? A site that hides the payee has told you something about the contract.
Fifth, does it say what it does not publish? A line that says the agency does not publish its rates is an answer. Record it as a finding, not as a blank you can fill in yourself.
How to score what you read
Sort each answer into one of three piles: stated in plain words, stated only in a vague phrase, or not stated at all. Do not reward length. A long page full of warm language can hide an empty money section, while a short page with a clear billing unit often tells you more.
Keep one sheet for all the sites, with the same five rows for each agency. Add the page address and the day you checked it. A single sheet lets you compare agencies on the same facts instead of on memory.
What the first call should confirm
When you call, ask the same five questions out loud and write down the answers word for word. Compare the call with the site. If they match, the site is credible. If they do not, the gap is the most useful thing you found all week.
A quote is the next document you will see, so read it against the same five rows. For that step, see How to read a home care quote. To see how this desk weighs what it finds, read How We Rate.