What is Home Care?

Home care provides clients with one-on-one assistance in the comfort of their own home, which enables them to live independently. Our caregivers help our client’s maintain their quality of life, and the personal attention they receive vastly improves their safety, health and happiness.

Why should I hire an agency instead of someone privately?

Hiring privately may seem like a cost-effective idea, but there are pitfalls and risks and ultimately cutting cost or corners could catch up with you. It makes you the employer and responsible for complying with all the employer legalities including calculating, withholding and remitting taxes, CPP, EI. You must also stay current with and comply with all laws and regulations regarding employment standards including vacation entitlements, overtime, statutory holiday pay, notice and termination issues. You also have to provide WSB coverage to cover the event of an employee workplace injury.
We conduct thourough screening and background checks on potential employees as part of our hiring process. Employees are insured for your protection as well as theirs. Working with an agency means families can minimize their workload, minimize potential threats and risks to their loved one and enhance the quality of their time together as a family rather than as an employer.

How do you choose your Caregivers?

We have an in-depth initial screening process and use ongoing supervision to verify standards are maintained. We look for skilled caregivers with compassionate caring personalities and who have a real desire to work with people in need. Each applicant is thoroughly screened - including criminal record and vulnerable sector checks, independent references, verification of qualifications and personal interview to ensure they meet the highest standard for providing home care services. Our caregivers are insured for your safety. They are required to regularly update and re-certify (e.g. police checks, CPR training ). We want to be able to say we would feel good about having this person to care for our own family members.

My parents are reluctant to accept home care, now what?

Convincing older adults that they need help at home can be challenging. While they balk at the thought of losing independence, the opposite is actually true. By having a little help, they are much more likely to retain independence because they remain in control of decisions affecting their lifestyle. Once a crisis occurs, decisions about their care will be in the hands of others. With professional home care, families can enjoy peace of mind knowing their loved ones are in safe and caring hands.

We have a couple of ideas:

1. Ask your parents to try home care, at least temporarily. Once they meet their caregiver and see how nice it is to have an extra set of hands, “temporary” almost always becomes permanent.

2. Come up with another name for “caregiver.” Some of our clients are more receptive to having a personal assistant or a housekeeper/chef.

3. Ask your parents to do this for you …agree to a meeting with our owner. Once your parents meet our owner and understand that our company shares their goal of remaining at home, it’s a less threatening proposition.

Are there minimum care requirements?

Kindred Care understands that care needs to be individualized to each client, and affordable to those seeking our services. We provide care up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year. The minimum for a single visit is 2 continuous hours.

Will I have the same caregiver or will my caregiver change from week to week?

We place a high priority on continuity and will always try for the same caregiver. We will take the information learned during our first meeting to understand the type of personalities you are comfortable with prefer and assign your caregivers based on your preferences. We will endeavor to maintain that person as your primary caregiver and provide an equally compatible substitute during any absences including illness or vacations.

How do I set up services?

The process to setup home care services is simple and straightforward. Call us! Our first step is to arrange an appointment to meet the client with his/her family or decision makers and our case manager will conduct a no-charge and no-obligation consultation and assessment with you. With this information we will prepare a highly flexible, personalized and suitable care plan is developed. We will then select a qualified staff member for you who will then proceed to provide care.

Are there any government or community resources to help us?

Home Care In My Zone

You can contact 811 to be connected to a home care office in your zone.

Alberta Blue Cross Client Directed Home Care Program

Kindred Care Home Services is an approved agency for the Client Directed Home Care Program provided by Alberta Health Services. Albertans who qualify for this program receive a set amount of funding that can be used towards their home care services. Alberta Health Services case managers provide comprehensive client assessments and care planning to determine the support services and hours of care eligible to each client. Based on their eligible support services approved clients choose a home care provider such as Kindred Care Home Services. To qualify for the Client Directed Home Care Program you must:

• be an Alberta resident with a valid health care card

• whose needs can be safely met in your home

• you must meet the requirements determined by an Alberta Health Services case manager. To request an assessment, call 811. For more information about home care services, visit the Alberta Health Services website.

AHS Self-Managed Care

Self-Managed Care is a program that assists seniors or people with disabilities to hire and manage their own home care providers. This allows seniors to exercise control over the home care services they need, as well as the home care agency to provide them.

Who is Self-Managed Care for?

If you’re a senior who lives independently, but requires assistance with a few basic daily tasks, our Self-Managed Care program allows you to age in place with peace of mind. Choosing a certified caregiver who can help you manage the challenges that come with living with limited mobility or a serious health condition, can make a big difference.

For aging adults who need help paying for their personal care needs, Alberta Health Services (AHS) can provide financial support. Each client must first undergo an AHS assessment to determine eligibility and any care needs that are currently unmet. Once deemed eligible, clients can then enter into a legal agreement with AHS that governs the terms and conditions of the funding.

To be eligible for Self-Managed Care, you must meet a few key requirements, such as:

• Living in Alberta, in a community setting, not a private care facility

• Possessing a valid Alberta healthcare card

• Maintaining stable health and foreseeable care needs

• Requiring ongoing support at home

• Being willing to assume the risks and responsibilities associated with contracting services for personal care

After you’ve signed a contract with AHS, you’re responsible for managing your care, which can be quite demanding and time consuming to handle alone.

Some of the tasks you will need to take care of, may include:

• Recruiting

• Training

• Scheduling

• Meeting employment standards

• Business regulation

• Tax regulations

• Reporting Self-Managed Care funds to AHS

The caregiver you choose to hire must be legally allowed to work in Canada, and you cannot hire a friend, family member, or informal caregiver.