I looking to hire a home health aide for my 95 year old mother. I’ve hired two private caregivers in the past, but I think I need to work with an agency to have peace of mind in knowing that I won’t be left at the mercy of any one person if they can’t work or are not meeting my expectations.
A good agency will have a clear plan for what happens if your regular aide can't make it, and they should be easy to talk to about any concerns you have.
A big red flag is an agency that seems unwilling to talk about this stuff or gives you vague answers.
Also, it's a good idea to meet a specific aide they've chosen for your mom before they start working, just to make sure it feels like a good fit for everyone.
I got better service from the locally owned ones over the national franchised ones.