How To Choose An In-Home Care Agency In Denver

To schedule a free consultation with a Senior Advisor, please call Marnie Biln, (303) 222-5281 or e-mail marnie@seniorgevity.com. The consultation is free to seniors and their families, and the senior advisement, and placement services are also free. 

There are dozens of in-home care agencies in the Denver area, which provide an array of services designed to help seniors stay in their own homes, safely and comfortably.

Below are main factors to consider when trying to choose the best in-home care agency for yourself or someone you love.

Care And Support Provided
Above all else, you will want to find out what types of services an in-home care agency can provide, and whether those will meet your needs. Most in-home care agencies in the Denver metro area provide some or all of the following care and support for seniors:

  • assistance with bathing, grooming, and dressing
  • assistance with using the toilet and incontinence
  • grocery shopping and meal preparation
  • laundry
  • housekeeping and cleaning
  • medication reminders
  • running errands
  • transportation

Transportation Provided
Most in-home care agencies provide transportation, for doctors appointments, shopping, errands, and outings. But the agency might require that the caregiver use your car, which needs to be properly registered and fully insured.

Cost
Cost is also an important factor to consider when hiring an in-home care agency. In the Denver metro area, the average rate for in-home care agencies and other companies that assist seniors is about $30-$50 per hour. If you have a long-term care insurance policy, it’s also important to check to see if the cost of in-home caregivers is covered and if your insurance company will authorize payments to the in-home care agency.

Minimum Hours And Shifts Required
When evaluating the cost of bringing in caregivers, in addition to comparing hourly rates, you should also find out how many hours are required per shift (typically 3-4 hours) and how many shifts are required (typically at least one per week).

Quality Of The Caregivers
The quality of the caregivers will often determine whether your plan to bring in additional help and support works or not. Before hiring an in-home care agency, you can ask about the caregivers that they plan to assign to you and find out about their interests, experience, and background. In all likelihood, though, you won’t know if it’s a good fit until you actually spend time together. If you don’t feel comfortable with a caregiver, find out what your options are for switching – and don’t be afraid to speak up about your preferences (sooner rather than later).

Flexibility
It helps if the in-home care agency that you choose is flexible – with the services that the caregivers can provide, with increasing or decreasing a caregiver’s hours (provided you give ample notice), with assigning a new caregiver to you, with adapting to your changing needs, and more. When interviewing in-home care agencies, ask about their flexibility and have them give examples of what how they’ve made adaptations for other clients.

Background And Experience Of The Owner Of The Agency
When choosing an in-home care agency, find out about the background and experience of the owner of the company and how much she/he is involved in the day-to-day operations.

Contract Required
Most in-home health care agencies in Denver will require you to sign a contract that includes provisions about: rate increases, billing, deposits, prohibitions against hiring their employees, transportation, holiday and overtime rates, right to terminate the agreement, and more. It’s important that you, or someone you trust, read the in-home care agency contract and understand everything that’s included.

Click here to see a list of in-home care agencies in the Denver metro area.

Contact A Senior Advisor For Help In Finding The Right Community Or Facility
If you’d like help finding the right community or facility for yourself or a loved one, contact Senior Advisor, Marnie Biln, (303) 222-5281. Her senior advisement and placement services are free.

Marnie helps seniors and their families find communities and facilities in the Denver metro area and Front Range, including: Denver, Aurora, Littleton, Englewood, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Denver Tech Center, Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Rock, Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Thornton, Northglenn, Brighton, Commerce City, Westminster, Louisville, Longmont, Lafayette, Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.

For more information on senior living options in Denver, see these related topics:
How To Choose An Independent Living Community In Denver
How to Choose a Residential Care home in Denver
How To Choose A Memory Care Facility In Denver
How To Choose A Multi-Level Care Community In Denver
How To Choose A Continuing Care Retirement Community In Denver
How To Choose A Nursing Home In Denver
How To Choose An Assisted Living Facility In Denver