Frequently Asked Questions

About In-Home Care

What is home care?

In-home care allows your loved one to get the help he or she needs without giving up their independence.

What does a caregiver do?

A caregiver provides seniors and other adults assistance at home to ensure their physical wellbeing and social health. Caregivers provide companionship, personal care, and other quality of life services. This can include mobility and safety assistance, help with meals and housekeeping, transportation to appointments and social events, as well as activities that encourage engagement, purpose, connection and joy.

If you’re wondering how to become a caregiver, visit our careers page for more information.

What is aging in place?

The term aging in place refers to seniors that choose to remain in their home as they get older instead of moving to an independent or assisted living community. According to the AARP, a majority of seniors would prefer to remain in their homes for as long as possible. And aging in place has a number of benefits.

• Seniors who remain in their own homes as they age enjoy the consistency of belonging to communities where they may have lived for many years surrounded by friends and families.
• Being surrounded by beloved objects and memory cues can foster a sense of connection and peace, and for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, a familiar environment can reduce confusion and improve mental engagement.
• Remaining in the home also avoids the stress of relocation and acclimating to new environments.
• Aging in place can be more cost-effective than facility care.

What are ADLs? (And what are IADLs?)

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) describe basic tasks essential for day-to-day functioning. These include bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, mobility and toileting. Many seniors who require help with such activities are largely independent but may require help with one or two ADLs.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) are those activities that are important in enhancing a client’s quality of life. IADLs include shopping, paying bills, household chores (cleaning, laundry), and meal preparation.

Seniors and other adults that need assistance at home may require assistance with ADLs or IADLs. Comfort Keepers offers an array of companionship and in-home care services, and specific tasks are laid out in the Plan of Care that is customized for each individual and family.

About Comfort Keepers

What services does Comfort Keepers provide?

Comfort Keepers assists seniors and other adults that need help at home to live their best quality of life. This can include help with aging parents, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, mobility assistance and a variety of care types.

Comfort Keepers provides uplifting in-home care that considers a client’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. We provide companionship care services such as meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping/errands, incidental transportation, medication reminders, grooming, live-in service and /care-services/respite-care. We also provide a wide range of personal in-home care services. This includes bathing, grooming, hygiene, mobility assistance, transferring/positioning, toileting/incontinence, and feeding/special diet assistance. Our office also  provides Dementia/Alzheimer’s care.

How does Comfort Keepers select caregivers?

Every Comfort Keepers caregiver is an employee who is carefully screened and trained before caring for a client. Each must undergo a rigorous process including national and local criminal background checks, DMV, and personal and professional reference checks. All Comfort Keepers are bonded, insured, and covered by Workers’ Compensation insurance for our clients’ peace-of-mind. Caregivers are screened for empathy and trained to provide the highest quality in-home care. We also drug test all of our caregivers prior to employment and randomly throughout their employment with us. 

Are services available 24 hours, 7 days a week?

Yes. Services are available for as little as a four hours a visit up to 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

What is a Plan of Care?

Comfort Keepers develops a custom, individualized and completely confidential Plan of Care for each client. This document describes the home care services needed and when the client would like to initiate care. Care plans include tasks and goals to help caregivers provide the best physical, mental and emotional wellbeing care.

Once a client and their loved ones agree on a plan with the local office, staff will use that information to recommend the Comfort Keeper who will be delivering the service, establish the schedule and develop a strategy for ongoing communication.

Plans of Care are reviewed with the client and family regularly.

What is Interactive Caregiving?

The focus of Interactive Caregiving is doing things with our clients instead of just doing things for them. While our caregivers provide assistance with the daily needs that a senior has, they encourage participation and engagement as much as possible. This allows our caregivers to develop a relationship with clients and keep them physically and mentally active. We believe in-home care is about more than completing tasks on a list — we offer personalized care that helps clients enjoy their time and improves quality of life. By focusing on interactive caregiving, we can elevate the spirits of clients and their families.

About Types of Care

What is transitional care?

In-home care is often a necessity for those that are transitioning home after a hospital stay or procedure. Whether someone is moving from a rehabilitation facility or directly from a hospital, there are benefits to completing recovery at home with a professional, quality caregiver to assist.

Comfort Keepers can provide a custom care plan for transitional care, including transportation home from a hospital or facility, and to scheduled follow up appointments and therapy sessions.

In addition to the physical challenges of healing after an illness or injury, patients can experience depression or anxiety when they aren’t able to participate in their normal routines and social activities. Our caregivers can provide transportation to community events, support physician-prescribed exercise regimens, provide companionship and help families stay connected through technology.

What is companion care?

Companion, or companionship, care includes preparing meals, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping and errands, transportation to appointments and social events, reminders for grooming, respite care, medication reminders and education and communication with a client’s loved ones. At Comfort Keepers, we also focus on activities that bring joy, provide mental stimulation and encourage physical and emotional wellbeing.

What is personal care?

Comfort Keepers’ trained caregivers assist with personal care needs ranging from stand-by assistance to full care depending on each client’s individual needs. This can include bathing, mobility assistance, position changes for those clients that are bedbound, incontinence and toileting care, preparing and serving meals, specialized care for those with memory issues or cognitive impairments, fall risk assessment and prevention, change in condition monitoring, and assistance with outings, social events, shopping trips, and other activities of interest to maintain engagement both physically and emotionally. A personal care assistant can help with basic activities of daily living, or ADLs.

What is End-of-Life care?

When a family member is diagnosed with limited life expectancy, he or she often has a strong desire to spend the final days in the comfort of home. However, caring for a loved one at the end-of-life can be emotionally challenging and physically exhausting.

Comfort Keepers can support you and your loved one by working with a hospice agency or medical provider to fully meet the family’s care needs. We will help care for your loved one, as well as assist around the house and provide the family with emotional and moral support. The end of one’s life is an upsetting time, but Comfort Keepers’ services can lessen stress for everyone involved.

What is Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care?

We understand the struggles families face when caring for a senior with dementia. Our Comfort Keepers® are trained to provide care for Alzheimer’s patients and care for those with dementia while supporting opportunities for meaningful engagement, builds and nurtures authentic, caring relationships, and implements a care plan that evolves with the senior’s needs. By choosing Comfort Keepers, families receive support that includes:

• Specially trained caregivers
• Family education to better understand dementia
• Tasks built into the care plan and geared to a senior’s interests to engage them physically, mentally and emotionally
• In-home services such as personal care, companionship, medication reminders, and family respite care

Does the VA pay for in home care?

Veterans and their surviving spouses may qualify for VA benefits to cover some of the cost of in-home care. VA programs were designed for those who meet specific financial criteria and demonstrate physical need for in-home care. Contact your local VA Office to find out more about in-home care and veteran’s benefits.

Does long term health insurance cover in home care?

Long-term care insurance can help pay the costs of care. For seniors that do have long-term care insurance, a local Comfort Keepers office can help answer questions about the paperwork needed to start using this specialized type of coverage.

Does Medicare cover or pay for in home care?

Medicare does not cover in-home care. In some select areas, Medicare Advantage plans may be available. This varies by state and location, so check your plan for additional details.