How to choose a home caregiver or home care agency
Start with 3 checks: a state license, a clear explanation of caregiver screening and supervision, and a backup plan for a missed visit. A bad one dodges those questions. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Health licenses home care agencies and registries that provide non-skilled services at home, so you can check before you sign anything.
The short version
- Start with the Pennsylvania Department of Health: a home care agency here should be licensed by the state, so ask for proof and check it yourself.
- Ask how every caregiver is screened, background-checked and trained, and who checks on the caregiver after the first week.
- Ask what happens when the caregiver is sick or the weather is bad, and who covers the shift.
- Get the hourly rate and the minimum visit in writing from three agencies before you pick one.
- If your parent speaks Spanish, ask in the first call how the agency will handle that, and ask for materials in Spanish.
First, call an agency serving your parent's address and ask about availability; then check its Pennsylvania license, get rates and visit minimums in writing, and arrange a home visit. Golden Hour Home Care Agency does not provide home health, skilled nursing or hospice, so if your parent needs those, you will want a different provider, and the questions below still help you sort that out.
What should I ask before I sign?
Use this checklist during the call:
- Verify the Pennsylvania license.
- Clarify who employs the caregiver.
- Ask about screening and training.
- Name the supervisor.
- Review the backup plan.
- Ask about meeting and changing caregivers.
- Get rates and visit minimums in writing.
- Confirm which tasks caregivers cannot do.
A good agency answers each one plainly.
Are you licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health? The right answer is yes, and they tell you the legal business name. Then look it up yourself on the state's home care page.
What is the difference between an agency and a registry? The state licenses both. Ask who employs the caregiver and who handles supervision. If it is a registry, ask what responsibilities you would take on. Ask which one you are talking to, because it changes who is responsible when something goes wrong.
How do you screen caregivers? You want to hear that every caregiver is screened, background-checked and trained. Ask what the checks are and when they happen. Ask what training comes before the first visit.
Who supervises the caregiver? Someone in the office should check in with you and with the caregiver, not just send a bill. Ask how often, and who you call with a problem.
What if the caregiver cannot come? Ask for the backup plan in plain words. Ask who calls you if coverage falls through and what happens if no replacement is available.
Can I meet the caregiver first, and can we change? A match should fit your parent's temperament and routine. If it does not, a good agency re-matches quickly and does not make you feel bad for asking.
What does it cost, and what is the minimum visit? Pennsylvania's median for a non-medical caregiver is $34 an hour, about $6,483 a month at 44 hours a week, according to the CareScout 2025 survey. For 20 hours a week at the CareScout 2025 Pennsylvania median, budget about $2,947 a month: $34 times 20 hours times 52 weeks, divided by 12 months. An agency's quote may differ. Then get each agency's rate and minimum visit in writing.
What will you not do? A clear answer is a good sign. Non-medical agencies can help with bathing, dressing, meals, errands and medication reminders. They do not give injections or manage medicine.
What about a private caregiver?
A private caregiver is someone you hire yourself, with no agency. Before hiring directly, ask who will handle payroll and any employer duties. You do the background check, find the backup, and cover the gap when that person is sick or quits. Ask yourself who covers the 6 a.m. shift in January.
What if my parent speaks Spanish?
Say so on the first call. Ask whether the office can talk with your parent and with you in Spanish, and whether forms and plans come in Spanish. Do not assume. Ask to see a Spanish version of the care plan.
What are the red flags?
- The agency cannot or will not show you a state license.
- Nobody can say who supervises the caregiver.
- You get a different person every visit, with no warning.
- The price is "it depends" and nothing is written down.
- You are pushed to sign at the first meeting.
- Promises of injections or medication management from a non-medical agency.
- No answer on what happens when a caregiver calls out.
Pennsylvania treats non-skilled home care and skilled care at home as different things. If an agency says it does both, ask to see the license for each.
Also watch how they talk to your parent. If the person visiting speaks only to you, ask them to include your father and hear his preferences before discussing the plan.
What does a good first visit look like?
Someone from the agency comes to the home, or calls you first, and asks questions before they talk about themselves. They should ask about your parent's routine, what a good morning looks like, what is hard, what your parent refuses to give up, and how the house is set up.
They should ask about stairs, the bathroom, the kitchen and the car. In Central Pennsylvania, they should also ask about winter: icy steps, early dark, and getting to appointments on bad roads.
You should leave with a written plan, a rate and minimum visit in writing, the name of the person you call, and the backup plan. You should not leave with a contract you must sign that day. If your parent is a veteran or surviving spouse, ask whether they might qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, a monthly payment added to a VA pension for people who need help with daily activities.
If your parent may need Medicaid for long-term care later, know that Pennsylvania reviews gifts and transfers made in the five years before applying. Ask a county assistance office before you move any money.
For a full list of non-medical help to compare against, see All Home Care Services.
What happens if you call Golden Hour Home Care Agency?
We are a locally owned, licensed non-medical home care agency, licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and we are not a franchise. Judelissa Rosario founded the agency and still leads the team, so you reach the owner and not a call center in another state. The phone is answered 24 hours a day at (717) 219-8542, and messages get a reply within one business day. Every plan starts with a free in-home consultation, a short call with Judelissa. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to sign. You can also Schedule a Free Assessment online.
More on the service itself: Home Care in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Questions families ask
How do I check an agency's license in Pennsylvania?
Is Medicare going to pay for a caregiver?
How many hours should we start with?
What should I ask a caregiver directly?
Can an agency help a parent with dementia?
Who do I call near Harrisburg if something goes wrong at night?
This article is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Golden Hour Home Care Agency provides non-medical home care only. Medication support is reminders only, not administration.
