“We require a minimum of 4 hours to be scheduled per day. It works better for our clients because it helps us create consistency of caregivers, and most caregivers prefer to work four or more hours..”
If you have done any research on caregiving services recently, you have likely heard this statement. It has become commonplace for caregiving agencies to require minimum hours per day or even a weekly minimum of hours that they must meet. I look at it differently. I choose to view these requirements in the eyes of our clients. “It is the smallest amount of money that we can receive caregiving services for.” After all, financial capacity, unfortunately, trumps care needs when the services are paid out of pocket.
Rising Costs Of Home Care
- For a company that requires a four-hour minimum shift requirement, the least amount a client could pay for any level of caregiving services is about $120 per day.
- A company that requires 20+ hours per week to be scheduled means that around $550 per week is the lowest clients will pay for caregiving services.
- Per a 2020 Genworth analysis, the average cost of caregiving services in Orange County is $5,434 per month.
- The most recent California census shows that the median household income for seniors 65+ is $4,535 per month.
To potential clients and their loved ones aiding them in finding quality services, it seems like a quick grab for money. It is more complicated than that. Over the past seven years, California minimum wage has increased 56%, causing caregiving prices to soar. Furthermore, as per diem workers, a caregiving agency cannot force a caregiver to take a shift. It means that many visits scheduled for 4 hours or less go unstaffed due to the low pay for these shifts and the unwillingness of caregivers to work them.
Our Call To Action
Collectively, our team at Home Care Providers knew that this was a problem. We are in this business to provide care to those in need. Each person on our team is an advocate for seniors. We have also adopted a minimum shift requirement for years but kept receiving the following objections.
- “We love the idea of caregiving, but it’s just too expensive.”
- “We’ve had caregivers before. Unfortunately, we were required to pay for hours we didn’t need. When the caregiver was done with their tasks, they just sat there for the remainder of the time.”
- “I love your service, but I just don’t need someone for that long in a day.”
The most frequent objections mainly were based on the minimum hourly requirements. First and foremost, as advocates for seniors, we believe that care should be affordable to everyone, especially since caregivers are often the first line of defense for the elderly. Stephen Huber, President of Home Care Providers, came up with a solution based on the needs of our clients rather than the needs of the organization.
House Call Visits
On May 3, 2020, Home Care Provider’s House Call Visits launched its first day of service. The mission is to make essential caregiving services affordable to everyone based on tasks rather than service hours. It means that there will be no minimum hours for senior care. This new client-centered approach to caregiving soared in the month to follow. We are already filled with steps taken to expand the program.
How It Works
House Call Visits was designed to eliminate the minimum hourly requirements for caregiving services. Now, rather than paying for a caregiver to come for 4 hours, you can receive 1-hour senior care or in-home care for as little as 15 minutes and $20 per day.
By creating an “A-la-carte” menu of our most frequently provided services, we have created a caregiving business model based on the client’s individual needs. Our clients can receive short visits for only the tasks they need assistance with, cutting costs and eliminating downtime for caregivers in the home. Our clients can now receive House Call Visits for the following tasks:
- Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Preparation
- Wake-Up/Tuck-In Service
- Dressing & Grooming
- Showering
- Complete Morning/Evening Routine
- Wellness Check-In
- Medication Reminder
- Companionship Visit
One of the more frequent requests that we receive is for shower services. These clients are relatively independent but need some monitoring and assistance while taking a shower. Rather than requiring a 4-hour minimum shift that costs about $120, our new noncommittal senior care can now include a shower visit for $40-$60 based on the level of assistance needed.
For clients who may live alone and need someone to stop by to make sure they are safe and comfortable in the home, Home Care Providers can schedule 3 wellness checks during the day for only $60 per day. A morning, midday, and evening check-in can cover 12 hours of the day. Compared to a 12-hour caregiving shift, House Calls Visits saves this client $335 PER DAY!
We can combine all these services to create the ideal coverage for you or your loved one. They can also be utilized with traditional caregiving services to have someone present during high-risk times but cut costs when less care is needed.
Success In One Month
After successfully serving our clients with House Call Visits, we have found that our no-hourly-commitment elderly care saves the average client about $300 per week compared to a home care agency that requires 4-hour minimums.
It equates to $1,193 per month and $14,000 per year in savings on caregiving services!
The Ideal Client
Our mission behind the implementation of House Call Visits is to provide caregiving services for an affordable price without sacrificing the quality of care. An ideal client for House Calls is a relatively independent senior but does need someone for help briefly throughout the day. Suppose you or your loved one always needs a person there because they cannot complete tasks independently. In that case, we recommend sticking with traditional caregiving services to ensure safety throughout the day. We like to put it this way: if you or your loved one would be fine for one day without support, then they are a good match for utilizing House Call Visits to fit their needs.
How To Get Started
If you or someone you know could benefit from House Call Visits, there are two ways to get services started.
- Place a call to Home Care Providers at 714-276-8570 and ask about our House Calls Program.
- Visit our website and fill out an interest form at House Calls.
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