Frequently Asked Questions

Right at Home was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995.

Right at Home Sarasota County provides numerous home care services to families just like yours. A full list of services can be found on our services page. Contact us today at (941) 929-1966 to learn how we can assist your family.

There are generally three scenarios under which families should begin to explore senior care service options:

1) In anticipation of release from a hospital or discharge from a rehabilitation center. The need for rest, recovery and healing is greatest following a hospitalization. In addition, it is highly likely one’s ability to perform routine activities of independent living will be impaired following hospitalization.

2) When you begin to observe a decline in a senior’s ability to perform routine tasks at home, giving rise to concern about their safety and well-being.

The signs will be subtle, so play close attention to these behavioral clues:

• Frequent repeating of the same questions or discussion could be the signs of early memory impairment
• Increasing difficulty keeping up with household chores and management
• Cluttered pathways between rooms and around seating areas
• Expired or rotten food in the refrigerator
• Unpaid bills and accumulated mail
• Challenges attending to routine personal care, including clean undergarments
• Out of date pills, loose pills scattered about, pills in baggies etc.
• Unexplained scrapes or dents on the car or the garage; or fresh paint on the car or garage walls

3) When, as a family caregiver, you begin to experience physical or mental fatigue or exhaustion. Everyone needs a break. For family caregivers, respite care services help alleviate the stress, anxiety and challenges of day-to-day caregiving. Respite care allows for time away to focus on self-care.

There are essentially five care options available to seniors following a discharge:

• Self-Care - assuming the senior is able to safely and easily perform routine activities of daily living such as running errands, maintaining meal prep and personal hygiene.
• Spouse Care – for seniors fortunate to have the companionship and support of a healthy wife, husband or life partner.
• Family Care – Proximity is everything when it comes to this option. Having able and willing family members nearby is often the first and preferred route for many seniors. However, with aging comes decline and the eventual need for more professional and skilled caregiving capable of managing all aspects of care related to physical and cognitive impairment.
• Private Home Care - If you are looking for personalized care after a hospitalization, private duty home care can be a great option. Highly-skilled care teams provide assurance of safety, well-being and full compliance with the physician’s care orders for a few hours a day, several times each week, or up to 24-hours per day.

Safety, well-being and recovery should be your top priorities when returning home from the hospital or rehabilitation. It starts by taking appropriate measures to ensure your home is safe for your return. We recommend a three-point assessment:

• Perform a home safety check/review or inspection.
• Consider what type of care will be needed (help with light chores, errands, and meal prep or more complex needs such as memory or medication management) and how much care will be needed (from a few hours a day to full time).
• Consider care resources. Do you have family members or close friends who can assist you with care? Do your care needs require more than what a friend or family member can provide, and would a professional in-home caregiver be helpful?

The type of care needed following a discharge from a hospital or rehab facility will be determined by a discharge planner, case manager or personal physician. A close family member, friend or custodian can also help advocate for care on your behalf. As a matter of practice, each Right at Home client receives a complimentary care assessment and a detailed care plan specific to our clients’ care needs.

Home care is mostly non-medical services such as companionship, housekeeping, transportation, personal care, respite care and dementia care. Enlisting home care services does not require a doctor’s order.

Home health care is skilled nursing care and certain other health care services related to the treatment of an illness or injury, including rehabilitation services for speech, physical and respiratory therapies. Medicare may cover some home health services if certain criteria are met, including a doctor’s referral for home health services.

Both home care and home health care services can be paid direct or via HSA’s, FSA’s, or Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits programs. Additionally, some long-term care insurance plans pay for the cost of home care or home health care. For home health services, Medicare pays for some of the care in a patient’s home only if all four of the following conditions are met:

• The patient must need intermittent (and not full time) skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech/language pathology, or continuing occupational therapy.
• The patient is homebound.
• The care must be referred by a doctor and medically reasonable and necessary. It must be related to the problems encountered and the care plan must address realistic outcomes. The plan and care needed must show potential for an improvement in the patient’s health/activities of daily living.

The home health agency caring for the patient must be approved by the Medicare program.

If you have questions about affording home care or benefit eligibility, give us a call at (941) 929-1966. We are certain we can help.

Given their qualifications, training regimen, and the enormity of all the services they provide under a single engagement, professional caregivers are an extremely economical solution for families with senior safety, comfort and well-being as their top priority and agency selection criteria.

Beyond hiring for skill, competence and reliability, the factors influencing price are related to the type of care needed and time desired or required to render the care. Generally speaking, Right at Home fees come in at about 15% of the blended hourly rate you can expect to pay were you to purchase each of our bundled services from individual standalone providers of transportation, meal prep, housekeeping, laundry and home care services.

Our caregiver training is considered by many to be among the most rigorous and comprehensive in our market. Each applicant undergoes an initial screening that includes:

• Comprehensive background check
• Professional reference check
• DMV and auto insurance check
• Drug screening
• Skills check
• Rigorous interviewing

Once hired, each team member is required to attend new hire orientation and ongoing educational and training workshops to learn specialized training and the latest care techniques. We pride ourselves on assembling a team that exceeds our high standards of professionalism and shares our commitment to exceptional care.

There are several factors involved in our caregiver matching and assignment process. With professional skills and training being equal, matching comes down to individual client care needs, along with caregiver disposition, proximity to where the client requires care, and general availability for the schedule and shift required. Given the size and quality of our care team, we generally have multiple caregivers who are compatible with practically every care assignment.

Yes! Practicing safety protocols has always been part of our day-to-day interaction with clients. Since the pandemic began, caregivers have been receiving additional training on the latest CDC and WHO guidelines to ensure optimum safety. We also closely monitor the recommendations and guidelines from our state and local departments of health. Caregivers wear appropriate PPE during all interactions and sanitize high-touch surfaces. Additionally, frequent handwashing and temperature checks are part of our daily routine.

Right at Home Sarasota uses the latest and most advanced technology for scheduling, billing, administration, tracking, reporting and client relationship management. Special care is given to understanding and meeting the unique schedule requirements of each client.

Ready to discuss a home care solution with one of our team members? Contact us online or give us a call at (941) 929-1966.

Right at Home Sarasota County provides in-home care services in the following areas:

Sarasota, Longboat Key, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey, Venice

Yes. Every caregiver is employed by the local Right at Home office. To help ensure the safety and well-being of our clients, we perform a criminal history background clearance and then cover each caregiver with general liability and workers' compensation insurance.

Yes. We do our best to take the guesswork out of matching the right caregiver with you and your family by using our proprietary screening and selection system. We encourage your involvement in the decision-making process. Your satisfaction is important so we try to accommodate requests for a change in caregivers, as allowed by law.

Our goal is to establish a long-term caregiving relationship with your loved one. Should your family want to request another caregiver for any reason, we'll search for a match until your family is happy. We understand that a strong rapport and trust with a caregiver are vital to a successful in-home care experience.

If your loved one receives care for many hours in a day or at different times of the day throughout the week, it may be necessary to schedule more than one caregiver in a given week. If your family requires multiple caregivers, our goal is the same: We want you to be satisfied and happy. We'll do what it takes to make sure we achieve that goal.

Right at Home Sarasota County would like to discuss your medication concerns. Give us a call at (941) 929-1966.

You can change the frequency or type of service we provide your loved one whenever it's necessary. We understand the care situation can quickly change, so we're as flexible as possible with your loved one's care.

Right at Home uses several tools to track the care our caregivers provide. First, we use simple time sheets filled out by each caregiver. Then, we use a combination of internet-based solutions to verify time and attendance. This allows you to have a written record of care services provided in the home. We can also provide written verification at any time.

Also, our itemized invoices are always sent after services are complete. This lets you ask any questions about time or date of care, and it allows us to make any schedule adjustments before your next invoice is sent.

No. You don't need pre-authorization, pre-qualification, certification or even a prescription for Right at Home's services. You choose the services you want, when to start those services and how often those services are used.

If you request assistance with billing a private insurance policy (such as long-term care insurance) for our services, we would be happy to help with the entire "benefits coordination" process. This includes providing any documentation you may need for reimbursement by an insurance carrier.

Medicare Parts A and B do not pay for ongoing assistance with the activities of daily living (called “custodial care” in the exclusions of Medicare plans). Medicare Advantage (also called “Part C”) may cover some services in the home (referred to as “in-home support”). To understand the benefits of Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov.

Long-term care insurance (depending on the policy and the plan of care) may assist in paying for a variety of home-based and facility care services.

Did you know there are several funding options available to help pay for in-home care? Right at Home offers a free download of our Ways To Pay for In-Home Senior Care Guide that gives information on these programs.

No. You (or an authorized representative) are only invoiced after the completion of services. Usually, this happens weekly. You never have to pay caregivers directly. And you'll never be asked to pay an additional fee to any employee.

Understanding all of the options for in-home care and how to pay for it can be confusing, especially at a time of stress and concern for a loved one. Right at Home is here to help. We’ve cared for thousands of families just like yours. There are a variety of ways to pay for in-home care. Right at Home offers a free download of our Ways to Pay for In-Home Senior Care Guide that gives information about the programs that can help pay for the service.

We adhere to all applicable federal and state guidelines related to privacy of personal and health care information. This starts once we have a formal service agreement, before a caregiver even comes to your family member's home. The written service agreement stipulates the exact restrictions on the use of your information, which clarifies that unauthorized individuals will not be given access to information without a client's or their legally authorized representative's formal consent.

Your information is never sold to a third party under any circumstances. In fact, only the office personnel and caregivers who are directly involved in your service will have access to information related to the care of your loved one.

Give us a call. We'll arrange a time to visit you, your family and/or any authorized representative to fully discuss your particular home care situation and how Right at Home might help.

Together, we'll go over the care your family needs and the care we provide. We'll answer all of your questions regarding in-home care services and costs. Then, we'll begin putting together your custom care plan and matching your loved one with the right caregiver. Usually, care can begin within a matter of a few days.