Common Questions

Please check our blog post, Top 14 Questions To Help Identify The Right Caregivers For Your Loved One.

Yes. Other funding options include private health insurance, long-term care insurance, a reverse mortgage, worker’s compensation, the Veterans Administration’s Aid and Attendance pension benefit, community organizations, and funding from the Massachusetts Group Adult Foster Care program, if you qualify.

Advanced Home Care Services provides private, non-medical, senior home care and elder companionship services to clients on an as-needed basis. Our certified Home Health Aides, Personal Care Assistants, Homemakers and Certified Nursing Aides provide “hands-off” companionship services such as running errands, light housework and meal prep, as well as “hands-on” personal care services such as bathing, dressing and toileting.

Our expertly-trained, compassionate staff of caregivers is available for day or evening coverage, on a part-time, full-time or temporary basis. We provide home care assistance in private residences, as well as any community-based setting including assisted living facilities or group homes, retirement communities and skilled nursing facilities. Our services are provided as needed, with no contracts or minimum number of service hours.

Advanced Home Care Services operates within a network of Massachusetts-based home health companies that continually share resources and knowledge. If your loved one doesn’t live within our immediate service area, or needs skilled health care services such as nursing or physical therapy, we can instantly tap into our network of medical care providers to ensure that all your needs are met and coordinated seamlessly. Please call us toll-free at 877-CARE-195 or CONTACT US directly to find out more.

Absolutely not. All Advanced Home Care Services caregivers are interviewed, screened, trained and employed directly through our agency. They are fully insured, bonded and certified. And, as their employer, Advanced Home Care Services assumes all tax and liability responsibilities.

We know that entrusting the care of your loved one to a non-family member can generate some level of anxiety. That’s why we place a high priority on making sure that only the most qualified caregivers join the AHCS family.

Our hiring process is rigorous and thorough. Candidates are carefully screened, with criminal background (CORI) and motor vehicle record checks. We also review and verify that a candidate’s certification status is current and in good standing with federal databases and the Massachusetts Nurse Aid Registry system. All candidates speak, read and write English, and must have U.S. work authorization. Medical and TB screenings also are required.

The personality of our caregivers is of the utmost importance. Our experienced human resources staff selects caregivers for their honesty, integrity, compassion and genuine desire to improve the quality of life for our clients. They also thoroughly investigate personal and professional job references, choosing candidates with impeccable work and character references that reflect outstanding people skills, an advanced work ethic and a high degree of maturity and dependability.

Yes. Advanced Home Care Services prides itself on recruiting, training and retaining some of the most qualified, paraprofessional home healthcare workers in the industry. Our “100 percent certification policy” means that every AHCS Nursing Aid, Home Health Aide, Homemaker and Personal Care Assistant has received his or her Massachusetts state certification prior to becoming an AHCS caregiver. In addition, most caregivers have a minimum of two years experience working in a professional healthcare setting.

Staff training and continuing education are paramount to providing optimal, long-term care to our clients. Once we bring a caregiver on board, s/he undergoes our intensive orientation and training process to ensure his or her skills are top-notch. Caregivers continue to hone their skills year-round with our continuing education classes given by our professional staff of registered nurses. Caregivers also receive quarterly field reviews by a staff nurse (at a client’s home), as well as an annual performance evaluation.

We pride ourselves on our people skills and our ability to make excellent caregiver-client matches. Our seasoned Human Resources staff thoroughly assesses the attributes of each candidate during the interview process. Each candidate receives a comprehensive background check, and we diligently follow up on personal references. We also speak directly with clients and family members during our initial in-home consultation so that we know exactly what the client’s situation, needs and expectations will be.

Oftentimes, our client-caregiver matches result in very positive relationships that grow into enduring, heartfelt friendships. Many clients consider their caregiver to be a member of their family. In the unlikely event that a client is not satisfied with our services in any way, a new caregiver will be assigned as soon as possible. Please CLICK HERE for more information about our process.

Yes, if you wish, we will arrange a meeting prior to your service start date. We believe it’s important for clients and family members to meet and get to know our caregiver in advance to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the situation and our level of service. We discuss this topic during our free in-home consultation.

Caregivers communicate daily with their scheduling coordinator, and report regularly to one of our registered nurses. On the first day of service, our nurse will accompany the caregiver to the client’s home to provide oversight, answer questions, and make sure the client is comfortable. After that, the caregiver’s schedule is monitored directly by an AHCS scheduling coordinator each day to ensure there is no interruption in service during scheduled visits. On a quarterly basis, nurses conduct an on-site review to ensure the caregiver is providing appropriate and satisfactory service, to review and assess the client’s plan of care, and (if applicable) contact family members to communicate updates or changes to the plan.

If there are any changes in a client’s health, our nurse will notify the family immediately. Clients and family members are welcome to contact us at any time with questions, comments or concerns. Our staff is on-call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via our Emergency Hotline at (508) 872-0038.

If your caregiver calls in sick or goes on vacation, we will send another caregiver to fill in for the duration. We have a wide pool of talent to draw from and will make every effort to assign a replacement caregiver with whom the client is comfortable. Our scheduling coordinator will contact the client or a designated family member ahead of time to let them know of the temporary change in service. Please CLICK HERE for more information about our service process.

Many clients or their families pay our agency privately, either by check or credit card. That said, we understand that the added expense of home care services can be a financial burden on a client or family members. For this reason, we are committed to keeping our overhead costs low, to making our services as affordable as possible, and to giving your loved one just the right amount of support. In addition, some clients may qualify for other sources of public or private funding. Learn more about home care funding options.

Deciding who will care for an aging senior is not an easy decision to make. Finding the right person — someone who is not only trained and competent, but treats your loved one with patience and respect — can be challenging on your own.

There is also a host of legal, insurance and employer-related responsibilities that will fall to you as an employer. Conducting background checks, checking references, covering sick days, monitoring caregiver work, and paying employer taxes and insurance premiums are just a few of these responsibilities. A professional home care agency eliminates these burdens, making life easier for you and your family.