Partnering with a Private Duty Homecare agency What’s in the Contract

A Geriatric care manager needs to have a contract with every private duty homecare agency they partner with for staffing. Without the contract you have no protocols to make sure they as your surrogate are delivering the best care possible and do not get you fired. What are the contract details???

# 1 is Allow you interview the care providers they send you and accept or reject.

You need to interview the caregivers you send to your clients. Why
Home care clients commonly report that caregivers come late or leave early. You may he GCM clients are on a strict schedule, and having a caregiver show up late means they could be left unattended. It can be a huge inconvenience for family members who have to

stay longer while missing out on those extra 10-20 minutes they’re paying for.
Some caregivers are better at their job than others, but it can be really frustrating for a client when one caregiver is exceptional, then the next performs only basic tasks. You want a level of care that is always reliable. You want the level of care to be exceptional so you want to interview the caregiver to know that they and every person on your case is perfect for the entitled client.

# 2 Cell Phone Policy for Caregivers

Caregivers are on the clock and spend long hours so can, instead of being with the older person as a companion or giving care they can be wasting time on their phones,the web, texting neglecting the client. The PDHC needs to enforce strict rules about cell phone usage, you need to interview the caregiver and monitor them weekly but also make sure that the private duty homecare agency sets a standard penalty for those who break the rules, and hold their caregivers accountable.

# 3 Allow you to monitoring weekly or per contract on top of their supervision.

Part of your monitoring for your clients is see the clients’ week through the caregivers charting and also from talking to the caregiver. You need to find out if the caregiver is following you care plan – does the care plan need updating and , is the care plan and the charting even in the clients’ house. ( Yes – anything can happen here ) You also need to

make unscheduled visit so you know the caregiver is really there when the agency says they are. It’s not uncommon for caregivers to call in sick to the office, but the office doesn’t call you or send a replacement. This is a communication problem that could cause astronomical problems for you and your relationship with the family who hired you. So, it is key that the private duty allow you to monitor weekly or per contract and also co-supervise with you. You need a protocol for this supervision that you both agree upon
Find out more” must haves” in your contract in my YouTube Channel Partnering with a private duty homecare agency