How to Choose a Home Care Provider — Questions to Ask

Not all home care providers are equal. The questions in this guide help you evaluate providers properly — and avoid the most common mistakes families make when arranging home care.

Why this matters more than it seems

You are choosing someone to come into your parent’s home regularly — someone your parent will need to trust, be comfortable with, and potentially rely on in vulnerable moments. The market for private home care in NZ includes excellent providers and mediocre ones. They often look similar from a website or brochure.

Questions about the workers

How are your workers vetted? Do they have police checks renewed periodically?
What training do workers receive, both before starting and ongoing?
Do workers have specific training for working with people with dementia?
Are workers employed by you, or are they independent contractors?
What is your worker turnover like?

Questions about consistency

Will my parent see the same worker regularly, or will it rotate?
What is your process for introducing a new worker when the regular one is unavailable?
What happens if a worker is sick — how much notice do we get and who covers?

WHY CONSISTENCY MATTERS For elderly people — particularly those with dementia or anxiety — having an unfamiliar person arrive unexpectedly is genuinely distressing. Providers who can commit to consistent allocation of workers are significantly preferable to those who cannot.

Questions about the service

What specific tasks are included and what is explicitly excluded?
Can the service be adjusted as my parent’s needs change?
What are minimum visit durations and scheduling constraints?
Do you carry public liability insurance?
What notice period do you require to cancel or modify visits?

Questions about communication

How do you keep families informed about how visits are going?
Is there a written record kept of each visit and can families access this?
Who do I contact if I have a concern — and how quickly do you respond?
What is your process if a worker notices something concerning?

Questions about cost and contracts

What is the full cost per visit, per hour, or per week — including all fees?
What notice do I need to give to end the arrangement?
Are there any minimum commitments — minimum hours per week, minimum contract term?
How are fee increases communicated?

What to look out for

Vague answers about worker vetting — treat reluctance to confirm police checks as a significant concern
No answer on consistency — approach providers who cannot commit with caution
Pressure to commit quickly — a good provider will allow you time to decide
No written service agreement — everything of substance should be in writing
Reluctance to provide references