Look for an Agency That's the Right Size For You

You can judge a lot about a company by it's size, especially in the caregiving industry. Choose a large company with franchises throughout the world, and you will enjoy the benefit of established processes, but you may feel the service is a little cold, or the management inflexible. Choose a small company, and you will be exposed to less layers of management, but you may feel a lack of support that a strong central office can provide.

The perfect choice will combine the best attributes of both large and small providers, and work hard to avoid the problems that both approaches may have. Not too big where that personal touch may not come through, and not too small where the lack of company support hinders the caregiving process.

At Salus, our goal is to be the "just right" company. What we like best about our structure is the flexibility. We can modify the process to benefit our clients. And we are never held back by a "that's not profitable" attitude from management.

We look at Salus as if it were providing caregiver services to our own family. By doing this, we never lose touch as to how it feels to be in the competent, dedicated hands of a compassionate, professional caregiving agency.

Agency vs. Registry

Will your care provider come from an agency, or a registry? That is one of the most important questions you should ask before you sign an agreement for caregiving services.

An agency provides you and your family with the highest degree of liability protection. An agency employs their caregivers as W2 employees, pays workers compensation, general and professional liability insurance. This gives you the peace of mind that is needed whenever an outside service provider comes into your home.

To bring in a caregiver from a registry, or to independently hire a caregiver, is exposing your family to unnecessary risks. A registry classifies their caregivers as 1099 independent contractors. The laws governing the work of an independent contractor are complex and limited in protection for you. In fact, the laws actually limit the amount of management and control that a caregiving company operating as a registry can have over their contractors. Caregiving registries can offer lower rates, but in the long run, you end up exposing yourself to unacceptable risks.

Salus is an agency. We invest a great amount of training and support in our people, and it shows in our level of service and company spirit.

To find out more, see the following websites:

www.irs.gov

www.privatedutyhomecare.org