Questions, answered plainly
If your question is not here, call the office on 800-813-3251 and ask a person.
Services and scope
What exactly do your caregivers do?
Companionship and conversation, safety supervision, light housekeeping, laundry and linen changes, meal planning, preparation and serving, grocery shopping and errands, transportation and appointment escort, spoken medication reminders, and dementia companionship. The services page covers each one in detail.
Do you provide bathing, dressing or toileting help?
No. Those are activities of daily living, which makes them personal care. Personal care sits outside a Homemaker and Companion Services registration and requires a licensed home health agency or nurse registry. Tell us anyway and we will refer you to one.
Can a caregiver give my mother her tablets?
No. A caregiver can remind her out loud that it is time. They cannot open, sort, pour, crush, set up or hand over medication, and they cannot advise on doses or side effects. If she can no longer manage her own medication safely, we will tell you and help you find a provider who can take it on.
Why are you so strict about this?
Because the boundary is the law, not a preference. Our registration under s. 400.509, F.S. authorizes companion and homemaker services and nothing else. An agency that quietly drifts past that is operating outside its authority, and the family relying on it usually has no idea until something goes wrong.
Do you work with people living with dementia?
Yes, as companions. Conversation, redirection, keeping the routine going and steady safety supervision, from the same caregiver at the same time of day wherever we can arrange it. It is not clinical dementia care and it does not include hands-on personal care.
Can we use you alongside a home health agency?
Many families do exactly that. A licensed agency handles the personal or skilled care, and we cover the hours in between when what is needed is company, a cooked meal and a clean kitchen.
Getting started
How do we begin?
Call the office or send the form on the contact page. We ask a few questions, confirm that your needs fit inside our registered scope, then arrange a home visit at no charge to write the service plan with you. Care starts once you have signed the service agreement.
Does the assessment visit cost anything?
No. There is no fee and no obligation, and nothing is owed unless you sign a service agreement and services begin.
How quickly can care start?
It depends on the schedule you need and caregiver availability in your county, so the honest answer comes on the first call. What has to happen first is the home visit and a signed agreement.
Which areas do you serve?
Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker Counties. If you are just outside that footprint, call and ask rather than assuming the answer is no.
Cost and billing
What does it cost?
We are private pay, billed by the hour. Rates depend on the schedule and the county, so call the office for current numbers. Whatever the rate, it is written into your service agreement and you sign it before anything starts.
Do you take Medicare, Medicaid or long-term care insurance?
We are a private-pay agency. Some long-term care insurance policies reimburse families directly for homemaker and companion services, so it is worth checking your policy, and we will provide itemised invoices to support a claim. Ask the office about your specific situation.
Could I get a bill I was not expecting?
No. No client is charged a rate or a fee that was not disclosed in advance. Invoices itemise the dates, the hours and the rate, all taken from the caregivers' visit records.
What if a charge looks wrong?
Tell us and we log the dispute, pause collection on that item, and check it against the visit records and your agreement. You get the outcome in writing, any error corrected, and a refund by the original payment method where one is due.
Caregivers and safety
How are caregivers screened?
Background screening is submitted through the AHCA Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and reviewed before any duties begin, and employment or contract history is collected and verified with the former employers as s. 400.509, F.S. requires. Nobody is assigned to a client until that is finished or the diligent efforts to complete it are documented.
Will we get the same caregiver every time?
That is what we aim for, and it matters most for clients living with dementia. When your regular caregiver is ill or on leave we arrange a briefed backup rather than cancelling the visit, and we tell you in advance.
What happens if there is an emergency during a visit?
The caregiver calls 911 first, stays with the client, keeps the area safe and gives responders the information they have. They do not perform first aid beyond summoning help, take vital signs or give medication, because they are non-medical staff. Then they notify the office and your emergency contact, and file an incident report the same day or the next business day.
Can a caregiver accept a tip or a gift?
No, and please do not put them in the position of refusing. Gifts, tips, loans and bequests are all prohibited, as is borrowing from or lending to a client. It protects your family from any appearance of undue influence and it protects the caregiver too.
What if a caregiver handles cash for shopping?
Only limited errand funds authorized in the service agreement, and every purchase comes back with a receipt. The caregiver returns the receipts and the change and reconciles it with the client on the spot, and it is recorded in the client file.
How do I raise a complaint?
Call 800-813-3251, email [email protected], write to us, or tell any member of staff. The Administrator acknowledges it, reviews it and gives you a documented resolution. No client faces retaliation for complaining, and services are never reduced, delayed or ended because a concern was raised. If you are not satisfied you have the right to contact the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Still not sure?
Call and ask. There is no script and nobody is going to push you into anything.