Choosing the Right Home Care Team: Questions Case Managers Ask

Choosing the right home care team, whether for yourself or for a loved one is never an easy task. Fortunately you will most likely have a case manager on your side. It is their job to ascertain the right level of home care for the person in question and they will often act as an intermediary between yourself and the various care options. But what sort of questions will they ask you to try to get an understanding of the specific individual needs, requirements and preferences of your particular case?

Case managers will ask questions that allow them to paint a full picture of the needs of the individual seeking home care. These needs can be separated into distinct categories as follows:

•       Physical – they will ask many questions about the physical condition of the individual including questions about mobility, pain, sensory abilities especially involving sight and hearing as well as any other physical conditions that could result in the need for more specialist care.

•       Emotional – the emotional needs of each person can be very different. Questions will be asked that might assess mental health, loneliness and the need for companionship.

•       Social – by asking questions about the individual's interests, hobbies and social circle a case manager can put together a plan for community involvement, activities and clubs or other options.

•       Financial – the financial element of prospective home care is often very important to those concerned as costs can soon rack up and setting out budgets early on can help to avoid mistakes and stress further down the line. Case managers will sit down and talk you through the various options including any potential costs and savings so you can balance the other needs with financial means.

All of these questions will help the case manager to pinpoint the right home care team for you, but it is equally important to have some questions of your own lined up, as engaging with the case manager and making them think will only be beneficial in terms of lining up the right package for you or your loved one. Some examples of questions you might want to ask include:

•       Will there be continuity of care. Research has shown that having the same carer visiting will boost morale as rapport is gained and reduced loneliness can result.

•       How flexible can the visits be? In case you have complex work arrangements or other responsibilities and need the home care visits to be able to work around your schedule on occasion.

In addition to questions surrounding the four principal need categories, your case manager will ask you questions about any insurance coverage you might have. Often family members will have policies hidden somewhere that you are not aware of, such as policies that pay out in the case of loss of use of legs. Such policies can be the difference between being able to afford the care you want and having to compromise, so it is definitely worth going through the paperwork.