Before someone new walks into the home of the person you care for, you have every right to know how that person was chosen and checked. This page is about screening, the set of steps an agency takes before a helper is sent out. It does not rank any office. It gives you questions to ask, and it describes what a clear answer sounds like and what a vague one sounds like.

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.

The support described on this site is non-medical. Helpers offer companionship, daily routine, light household help, and steady presence. Health questions go to the family's doctor. Keep that line in mind as you ask, because screening is one of the places where a family's trust in an agency is either shown or missing.

Ask what is checked, in writing

Start with a simple request: ask for the agency's screening steps in writing. A short summary is enough. You are looking for a plain list that names each check, such as identity confirmation, past employment, personal references, and whether a public record search is run and by whom. If the agency cannot put the steps on paper, that tells you something.

Ask whether the checks are repeated over time or done only once at hiring. Ask whether the agency also checks registries that list people barred from working with vulnerable adults, and whether that check is run again at set intervals. Ask which state and county records are searched, so you understand the reach of the check and what it might miss.

Ask who reads the results

A check is only as useful as the person who reads it. Ask who at the office reviews screening results and who makes the final decision to send a helper. Ask what kinds of findings would stop a hire, and what kinds would be discussed before a decision. A good agency can describe its standard without making you guess.

Ask whether the agency will name the outside screening company it uses, if one is involved. Ask whether the agency's license or registration can be checked with the state, and whether you can confirm it yourself rather than taking the office's word for it. Your own check takes a few minutes and tells you more than any brochure.

The gap while a check is pending

This is the question many families forget. Ask what happens when a new helper has been hired but the screening is not finished. Some agencies do not send anyone until every result is back. Others send a different, already cleared helper in the meantime. Ask which the agency does, and ask who tells you when a substitute is coming. If the answer is that a new person may arrive before the results are in, decide whether you are comfortable with that before the first visit, not at the front door.

Compare the same answers across offices

If you are looking at more than one agency, write the same questions on one sheet and fill in each office's answers side by side. Note the words used. Clear answers name steps, people, and timing. Vague answers sound like 'we are very careful,' 'we only hire the finest,' or 'our people are all trusted.' Those phrases describe a feeling, not a process. Ask the office to show you the steps behind them.

Keep notes on how each office answered, not just what it said. An office that welcomes these questions, answers them without hurry, and puts the answers on paper is showing you how it will handle the rest of the work too.

When an answer leaves you uneasy

If an answer leaves you uneasy, say so and ask for more time. You can ask the office to follow up in writing. You can also tell the person who will be your main contact at the agency, and ask who else you can speak with if the answer does not satisfy you. Local public resources for older adults and their families, such as the area agency on aging that serves your county, can point you to general guidance on what to look for. They are not a screening service and will not vouch for any one agency.

For more on how this site approaches comparisons, see How We Rate Memory Support. The questions here are yours to use with any office, including ones you find on your own.