Drive Time, Errands, and Short Visits: What Pushes the Quote Up Before You Sign

Two quotes can read alike and land far apart once the terms about time are read closely. Most of the difference comes from how the agency counts the hours spent getting between homes, running errands, and making short visits. Ask these questions before you compare any headline rate, and ask for the answers in writing.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Drive time. St. Louis area distances vary a great deal, and an aide who travels from one home to the next can spend a large share of a shift in the car. Ask whether drive time between clients is counted, whether it is counted from the office or from the last home, and whether it is billed in full or in part.

Errands. Trips to the grocery store, the bank, or the post office take longer than the list suggests. Ask whether shopping time includes travel, waiting in line, and carrying bags, and whether fuel or mileage is added as a separate charge.

Short visits. Visits under a set length are often billed at a minimum. Ask what the minimum is, and whether it applies to a short check-in as well as a full visit. Compare that with the time an aide will actually spend inside your parent's home.

Start and stop times. Ask whether the clock starts when the aide walks through the door or when the aide leaves the office, and whether there is any grace period for late starts that you did not cause.

Cancellations and changes. Ask whether a canceled visit is still billed, how much notice the agency needs, and whether weekend and holiday visits follow a different rule.

To compare fairly, write a sample week on paper. List each planned visit with its start and stop, the travel between homes, and the errands. Then ask each agency to review that sample week and tell you in writing what would be billed under its terms. The total from that exercise tells you more than any headline rate.

The county's aging services office or a local senior center can often tell you which agencies serve your part of the region, which saves time before you start the comparison. For the full list of terms to read before you sign, use what to ask before you hire anyone.