Contracting with a respite care agency is a somewhat time consuming process, but by doing the homework ahead of time, you are certain not to have regrets and worries later on. Additionally, knowing exactly what kind of care is provided during a normal respite care visit and what kind of care is not included also will enable you to make financial decisions when it comes to planning for additional care that you or your loved one may require. These are the procedural questions any respite care agency needs to answer up front:

1. Identify the kinds of respite caregivers who will be sent out by the agency. Are these individuals who have extensive schooling in geriatrics or childhood development, are they holders of advanced degrees, or are these individuals who are primarily choosing respite care as a profession after having already schooled for different disciplines?

2. What agency training process is chosen to prepare the respite workers for their duties? In some cases this may be a college level class while in other cases this is training provided in house. Knowing ahead of time the level of training the workers have received can greatly increase your level of confidence in them.

3. What are the qualifications of the trainers? Are these trainers who have advanced degrees or are they respite care providers who have worked their ways up to the training and management area of the agency?

4. What is the emergency preparedness the respite care workers have received? While anyone is required to know CPR, is this a skill that is reinforced during agency training or is this something that is left to the individual worker to obtain from outside agencies? If the latter is the case, who is in charge of verifying that an appropriate course was chosen?

5. What background checks are conducted with new workers and how often are these checks repeated? The majority of agencies will check once upon hiring on a new respite worker and usually a basic criminal background check along with employment verification and also education or training verification is conducted. Rarely is a background check repeated at regular intervals. Drug testing is becoming more common, but once again it usually only takes place upon a new hire situation and rarely during the course of the employment situation.

6. What kind of experience does the respite worker assigned to your family have with the kind of care you loved one requires? This is especially vital in a case when a child suffers from a special kind of condition that also requires special care or background knowledge. If symptoms are subtle, the experience of the respite care worker makes all the difference in the kind of care your loved one will receive.

7. Finally, how will the respite care agency act when in case of an emergency you cannot be reached and neither can the next family caregiver on the list? Is there a definite progression of contact and also an agency protocol that will be followed in such a situation?

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