Most families tour an agency once, sit in a bright room with a folder, and leave with a feeling more than a list. This guide is for when you want that feeling checked against facts.

Nothing here is a judgment on any office. It is a set of things to look at, ask, and write down, so that you can compare one office with another in the same terms.

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.

Before you go

Ask for the visit by phone or in writing, and say you would like to see the office and meet the person who handles day-to-day scheduling. If the office only offers a sales call, make a note of that. You are allowed to see where the work is planned, not just where it is pitched.

Write down the person you care for in a few plain lines: what time of day is hardest, what helps, what they still enjoy, and what has changed. Keep these notes on paper and decide for yourself what to share.

What to look at in the room

Notice how the front desk handles a call while you wait. Does the person stop, greet you, and finish the call before turning back to you? Office habits show up in small moments.

Ask to see a blank copy of the written care plan, with names removed. Look for plain language about what a helper will do in the home, what the family keeps, and when the plan gets reviewed. A plan that only says 'personal care' with no detail is a question to press on.

Ask how records are kept. Who writes the visit notes, how the family reads them, and how long the office keeps them. Ask what happens to the notes when a helper leaves.

The questions to write down word for word

Use the same questions at every office so the answers can be compared side by side. Write each reply in the office's own words, not your paraphrase.

Who is my contact when I have a worry on a weekday afternoon? Who is my contact after office hours, and is that a person or a recording?

What happens on a day the helper cannot come? How quickly will I hear about it, and who arranges the replacement?

If the match is not right after the first few visits, what is the change process, and do I have to explain myself to get it?

Who supervises the helpers, and how often does a supervisor visit the home?

When a helper is not a good fit, who makes that call, and do I get to say so?

When the answers are vague

Vague answers are not always a warning, but they are worth a second question. Ask for an example. 'Tell me about the last time a visit was missed and what you did' usually gets a more useful reply than 'we always cover.'

Notice when the office answers a question you did not ask. A short, direct reply is a good sign. A long reply that drifts away from your question is worth noting.

Health questions

If a question touches on health, the family's doctor is the right person to answer it. A non-medical helper can support daily routine and errands, but health questions go to the family's doctor, and the office should be clear about where that line sits.

After the visit

Within a day, write down what you heard while it is still fresh. Then compare your notes with the next office. Keep the sheets together in one folder so you can see the whole picture when you decide, not just the last conversation.

For a wider view of how the rankings on this site are put together, see How We Rate Memory Support. For a sense of how a typical day of help is planned, see A Day of Support at Home.