An agency can schedule a visit correctly and still deliver nothing if the aide cannot get into the house. Keys go missing, lockbox codes change, the gate latch sticks, and the family member who was supposed to be home is at work or in the car. The aide arrives, waits, makes a call, and leaves. On the visit record, that can look like a visit that was missed for an unclear reason, and the house goes without the help you arranged.
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Recognise the pattern early
One missed entry happens in every household. The pattern to watch is repetition: the same day of the week, the same time window, and the same kind of note saying the aide could not get in or waited on the step. Also watch for a mismatch between accounts. If the family believes the aide never came and the agency says the visit was logged as completed, the access question needs to be settled first.
Decide who holds each way in
Write down every way an aide could enter: the front door, a side door, a garage code, a gate, a lockbox on the railing, or a neighbor who holds a spare. For each one, name the person responsible for keeping it working and the person who can change it. Put these answers on the same sheet as the address and any notes about the house, so the aide and the agency work from the same facts.
Test the route before the first shift
Have someone who does not live in the house walk the route the aide will take from the car to the door, at the hour the visit starts. Check whether the lockbox dial turns easily in cold weather, whether the gate opens from the outside, whether the storm door closes behind a person without pushing hard, and whether the entry light works. Note anything that needs a person inside to open it. If a visit depends on someone being home at a fixed hour, say so plainly in the written agreement, or choose a different hour. The entry route also belongs in the walk-through of the home, which is covered on the home safety page.
Ask the agency how access problems are handled
Ask what the aide does when the door will not open. Does the aide call the family, call the office, wait a set time, or leave? Who gets the call after that? Ask whether the agency records entry problems separately from the visit notes, and how quickly a changed code reaches the aide. These questions belong with the rest of your interview, and the full list is on the questions to ask before you hire page.
When a changed code is the first sign of trouble
A family member who changes a lockbox code without telling the aide has not done anything wrong, but the visit can still fail. Treat a new code, a new lock, or a key that was reassigned as a schedule change that needs a written update the same day. Keep the current codes in one place that only the people who need them can see. If other relatives or friends come and go, ask who else knows the codes and whether that list is still correct. The support network around the house is worth mapping as well, as described on the support ring page.
What to do when the visit does not happen
Call the family member first, then the agency office, and write down the time of each call. Ask the agency to record the failed entry on the visit record along with the reason. If the same entry problem repeats, do not assume the next visit will fix it. Solve the access problem before the next scheduled visit, or move the visit to a time when someone can let the aide in. A short written list of entry points, owners, and test results usually settles the question faster than another phone call.