Choosing a home care provider can be overwhelming. Whether you are seeking care for yourself, your parents, or other loved ones, it’s a significant decision. Inviting caregivers into your home is a big step, and it is natural to feel anxious.
Trust is paramount. It is essential to ensure that the company you hire operates with integrity and transparency. Below, we explain the differences you may encounter when making decisions based on price.
In simpler terms, low-cost home care providers often reduce prices by cutting corners. As with any service, “you get what you pay for.”
FirstLight Home Care, with a modest increase of just 5%-10%, delivers exceptional care without shortcuts. We prioritize the quality and retention of our caregivers and maintain high operational standards. Our caregivers undergo comprehensive training, including 2 hours of orientation, 3 hours of hands-on training with a skilled caregiver in a client’s home, CPR/First Aid training, Compassionate Dementia Training, and Parkinson’s Training, among others. This ensures that our team is well-prepared to provide the highest quality of care.
Our goal is to provide you with peace of mind, knowing you are receiving the best possible care. FirstLight strives to be the gold standard of home care.
We provide a comparison between quality care (FirstLight) and low-cost options, along with important questions to consider when evaluating home care providers. For any inquiries or to get started, call or text us 24/7 at 517-483-2784. We are 100% locally owned and operated and are here to assist you.
| FirstLight | Low Cost Providers | |
| Hiring caregivers | FirstLight – in office | 3rd party |
| Training caregivers | FirstLight – in office | 3rd party – video training |
| Scheduling | FirstLight | Remote 3rd party / call center |
| Fixing problems | FirstLight | Remote 3rd party / call center |
| Off-hours communication | FirstLight 24/7 live call with local staff | Remote 3rd party / call center Leave Voicemail |
| Caregiver pay | Above Market | Below Market |
| Caregiver turnover | Lower | Higher |
| Live meetings with operations team | Yes | Never |
| Operations team knows caregivers | Yes | Never |
| Introductions of caregivers | Yes | No |
| Supervisory Visits with the Caregivers | Yes | No |
| Local billing contact | Yes | No |
SAFETY QUESTIONS:
- Is the company licensed, bonded & insured? Yes, we are!
- Are Caregivers drug tested and checked for criminal background before being hired? All of our Caregivers must pass a background check and drug test.
- How long has the company been operating? We have been in business in the Lansing Area for 8 years, which 4 years in the Brighton location as well.
- Can you talk to the owner of the company? Definitely. The owner is also doing some of the home assessments and wants to know the clients we serve.
QUALITY QUESTIONS:
- What happens if a caregiver calls in sick, or just doesn’t show up for her shift? Who do you talk to? A person with the same company that signed you up? Or with another company out of the area? We have backup! We will be sure the shift is covered if someone calls off. We pride on having about 99% of all shifts filled and being on time.
- How are the caregivers supervised? Are they introduced to you at their first visit? We introduce the caregivers at the first shift or before if the client requests it. We call after the first shift, weekly for one month, then every month to ensure satisfaction. We also have a 3rd party vendor, Home Care Pulse, do surveys monthly surveys so if we do have concerns, we can improve.
When deciding which home care company to hire, ask yourself how much additional stress and workload you can tolerate. If you have lots of free time and excel at dealing with stress, working with a low cost provider may make sense. If not, consider FirstLight Home Care so you can have more peace of mind.