A home care agency supplies a carer to work in someone’s home. The models differ far more than the brochures suggest: live-in care, hourly visiting care, overnight waking care, and introductory models that match a family with a self-employed carer rather than employing the carer directly.
Usually the hourly cost is lower and the total responsibility is higher: you become the employer, carrying recruitment, insurance, tax, holiday cover and the risk of a carer leaving without notice. An introductory agency sits between the two — you contract with the carer, and the platform handles matching, vetting and payment.
At minimum: identity, right to work, references, a criminal record check where the jurisdiction provides one, and evidence of training in moving and handling. Ask which of those are mandatory for every carer and which are optional, because the answer differs by agency.
Yes, but the package has to be designed for it — supervision level, exit awareness in the home, and a plan for what the carer does if the person leaves. Read the dementia care guide and the home modifications guide before the assessment so you can ask specific questions.
Care guides · Agetide home