Once a family decides to hire a home care company the first step is to schedule an in-home assessment.  In the assessment the representative from the agency will evaluate the needs, take down pertinent information on health issues and emergency contacts, and develop the plan of care.  There are some key items that the family needs to have for the in-home assessment:

1. A list of medical diagnoses and health concerns.
2. A list of all current medications.
3. A list of all dietary restrictions.
4. A list of all emergency contact information.
5. Instructions for the household (i.e. no shoes on carpet, leave doors locked, cleaning supplies, etc).
6. Special instructions for care providing (i.e. the challenges to expect, where clothing is kept, food preparation, etc).
7. Special instructions for socialization (i.e. encourage/discourage physical activity).
8. Instructions for pet assistance.

The better the family prepares the agency in the initial in-home assessment the better off everyone involved will be.  It's important to establish a line of communication from the start.  Tell the agency how you like to communicate (email, text message, cell phone, work phone, etc) and when (daytime, evening, weekend).