- Caregiver
- Tom
- Lunch
- Soup and a cheese sandwich, ate most of it. Tea and two biscuits.
- Out
- Walked to the park and back, slowly. Sat on the bench for 15 minutes.
- Medicines
- Reminded at 12:30 and took the lunchtime ones from her pill box.
- For family
- Bread and milk are low. She asked about her grandson's visit on Sunday.
Non-medical home care for older adults Sample agency
Help at home, from a few hours a week to every day
Fieldfare caregivers help with meals, errands, washing and dressing, and company, so people can keep living in the home they know. It starts with a free visit to talk it through.
Or call (555) 017-4418, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.
Margaret's week
How a care plan can look
- MonGetting up, shower, breakfast9:00–11:00Rosa
- WedLunch, then a walk to the park12:00–14:00Tom
- ThuGrocery shopping and the hairdresser10:00–13:00Tom
- SatCards and tea while her daughter has the afternoon off14:00–16:00Grace
9 hours across four visitsAbout $314 a week at sample rates
What our caregivers help with
Most people start with one or two of these. The plan changes when their needs do.
Company and conversation
A cup of tea and a chat, a game of cards, a walk round the block or a trip to the library. For many people this is where help starts.
Meals and around the house
Cooking a hot lunch, setting up dinner for later, washing up, laundry, changing the bed and keeping the kitchen tidy.
Errands and appointments
Grocery shopping with or for someone, collecting prescriptions, and going along to the hairdresser or the doctor's office.
Personal care
Help getting up and dressed, washing or showering, using the toilet and moving around the house safely, at the person's own pace.
What we don't do
We provide non-medical care. Our caregivers don't give injections, dress wounds, manage medical equipment or change medicine doses. If someone needs nursing at home, their doctor can refer them to a home health service, and we can work alongside it.
A break for the family member who does the caring
If you look after a parent or partner yourself, a caregiver can take over for an afternoon, a day or a week. The same rates apply. Sample terms
A few hours each week
A regular afternoon off, so you can work, see friends or sleep. Two hours is the shortest visit.
A full day
Up to 10 hours with one caregiver, for a wedding, a hospital appointment of your own or a day out.
Overnight
A caregiver sleeps in the spare room from 10 pm to 7 am and gets up if needed.
While you're away
Daily visits or overnight cover for a few days to a few weeks. Book at least two weeks ahead if you can.
How getting started works
From the first call to the first visit usually takes one to two weeks. Sooner is often possible. Sample timings
You call or send the form
We ask a few questions about who needs help and what's getting hard, and book a time to visit.
- Free
A free home visit
About an hour at the person's home, with family there if they like. We talk about their day, what they enjoy and what they'd rather not need help with.
A written plan and price
Which days, how long each visit is and what the caregiver does. You see the weekly cost before anything is agreed.
You meet the caregiver
They come along before the first visit, or on the first one with someone from the office. We check in after two weeks and change what isn't working.
How we choose a caregiver for you
At the home visit we write down more than the tasks. Then we pick from caregivers who work near you.
What we match on
- The days and times you need, and how far the caregiver lives from you
- Whether personal care is needed, so it's someone who does it every week
- Interests and character: a talker, a quiet reader, a gardener, a sports fan
- Language spoken at home
- Preferences such as a woman caregiver for washing and dressing
- Pets, smoking and anything else about the house
If it isn't working, tell us. Personalities don't always click. We'll introduce someone else, and you don't need to give a reason.
Rosa Delgado
Weekday mornings
Getting up, showers and breakfast. Speaks Spanish and English, and grows tomatoes on her balcony.
Tom Whitlock
Afternoons and weekends
Shopping trips, cooking and company. Former bus driver, keen on crosswords and baseball.
Grace Owusu
Overnights and respite
Overnight stays and days off for family caregivers. Has looked after people living with memory loss for years.
Illustrated sample profiles Names and portraits are illustrations created for this concept site.
Knowing how the visit went when you live far away
After every visit the caregiver writes a short note. The family members you name can read it online or get it by email.
- What was done, what was eaten and how the person seemed
- Anything to buy or follow up, like low milk or a letter to answer
- A call from the office the same day if something worries the caregiver
Rates and minimum visit lengths
One hourly rate for every kind of help, including personal care. Public holidays are charged at one and a half times the rate. Sample rates
Weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm
$34an hour2-hour minimum visit
Evenings and weekends
$38an hour2-hour minimum visit
Short check-in
$45a visitOne hour on weekdays: a meal, a medicine reminder and a look round
Overnight stay
$240a night10 pm to 7 am; the caregiver sleeps and gets up when needed
How paying works
Most of our clients pay for their care themselves, or their family pays. Sample terms
An invoice every two weeks
For the visits that happened, by email or by post. Pay by bank transfer, card or check.
No deposit or sign-up fee
You pay for visits once they've taken place. There's no long contract: stop with seven days' notice.
Cancelling a visit
Free with 24 hours' notice. With less notice we charge the visit, because the caregiver has kept the time for you.
Sharing the cost in a family
We can split each invoice between two or three family members, each paying their share.
Insurance and government programs
We don't bill health insurance or government programs. Some long-term care insurance policies pay toward home care: ask your insurer what yours covers, and we'll send the itemized invoices and visit records they ask for.
Questions about a bill
Call the office and the person who wrote your invoice will go through it with you.
Questions families ask us
Something else? Ask at the home visit, or call (555) 017-4418.
Is the home visit free?
Yes. It takes about an hour and you're under no obligation afterwards. We'd rather you take the written plan away and think about it.
Will it be the same caregiver each time?
Regular visits go to one main caregiver, with one or two others from a small team who cover holidays and sick days. You meet them before they come on their own.
My dad says he doesn't need help. What can we do?
Start small. A weekly visit for shopping and lunch is easier to say yes to than "care", and personal care can come later if it's needed. We're happy to talk this through with you first.
Can caregivers give medicines?
They can remind someone to take the medicines a pharmacy has set out, and write down that they did. They don't give injections, dress wounds or change doses. For nursing care, ask the person's doctor about a home health service.
What checks do caregivers have?
Every caregiver has a background check and two references before they start, and shadows an experienced colleague on their first visits. They're employed by us, so we handle their pay and taxes.
Do you help people living with dementia?
Yes, with daily routines, meals and company. We keep visits at the same times on the same days, with the same faces, because a steady routine usually helps.
Book a free home visit
Tell us a little about who needs help. Someone from the office will call to arrange a time. This is a demo form, so nothing is sent. Concept
- Office
- 27 Sample Lane, Suite 3 Sample address
- Office hours
- Mon – Fri, 8 am – 6 pm
- Phone
- (555) 017-4418
- Caregiver visits
- 7 days a week, 7 am – 10 pm, and overnight