Questions You Should Ask When Hiring a Home Care Agency in CT & RI

Hiring a home care agency in Connecticut or a home care agency in Rhode Island for a loved one is an important, often difficult decision. Researching providers and interviewing multiple agencies and caregivers is the best way to ensure your loved one is safe and well cared for.

Top 3 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Care Agency

1. What Hiring and Screening Process Do You Use for Caregivers?

Putting your loved one in someone else’s hands can be difficult, and it’s natural to feel apprehensive about whether they’ll be well cared for. Asking about an agency’s hiring and training process helps confirm that your loved one will be safe and that caregivers are properly supervised.

At ASQ, every caregiver goes through our own Empowered Training Academy, a state-funded internal program that certifies caregivers to ASQ’s clinical standards, even if they already hold state certification, so you can be confident every caregiver in the field meets a higher bar than the state minimum. Because ASQ is nurse-led and nurse-owned, hiring and screening decisions are made by clinicians rather than corporate administrators, giving you a caregiver held to real clinical judgment, not just a checklist.

When choosing an agency, be sure to:

  • Ask for references from current or past clients
  • Confirm the agency meets local certification requirements
  • Check the agency’s State Certification status for legitimacy and regulatory oversight

For specific certification requirements in your area, contact your local Area Agency on Aging (the Family Caregiver Alliance’s Family Care Navigator can help with this) or your local department of senior services.

In Rhode Island, ASQ has also achieved CHAP accreditation, a nationally recognized standard for quality and safety in home care. Learn more: Assured Quality Homecare Achieves CHAP Accreditation in RI.

2. What Services Does Your Home Care Agency Provide?

Make sure the agency’s services and caregiver skill set actually match your loved one’s needs, not just in general, but for their specific situation. This helps you understand what the caregiver will handle and where you (or other family members) may still need to fill in.

Home care agencies typically offer a range of services, including:

  • Personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and grooming
  • Meal planning and preparation
  • Light housekeeping
  • Transportation to appointments
  • Medication reminders
  • Companionship and emotional support
  • Specialized care, such as Memory Care for dementia or Alzheimer’s

This includes our Alzheimer’s Specialty Program and Healthy Mind Program, both designed specifically for families navigating memory-related care.

Understanding exactly what’s included, and what isn’t, helps ensure your loved one’s needs are fully covered and prevents gaps in care.

3. What Insurance Plans Does Your Agency Accept?

Cost is one of the biggest factors families weigh when choosing home care, so it’s important to ask upfront what’s covered and what isn’t. Home care can be a significant expense, and not everyone can cover it out of pocket without some help.

Ask directly whether the agency accepts insurance, and if not, what payment options are available. Getting clear answers early helps you avoid spending time considering an agency that ultimately isn’t affordable for your family.

Keep in mind that many home care services, including ours, are private-pay and separate from Medicare-covered home health care.

Ready to Get Started?

These three questions are just a starting point. The more you ask, the more confident you’ll feel about the agency’s and caregiver’s experience, competence, and level of care.

Our team is composed of skilled, compassionate caregivers who work closely with your loved one’s healthcare team, and we’re proud to be recognized as a top home care provider and a certified age-friendly employer.

Contact us today for a free home care assessment, or call us directly at 860-373-0428.

 “We truly care and only want to give you the best.” – Sam, RN, BSN, Owner

 

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