Early Support Visitsby Caring Companions
Doing fine at home? A little help can still make a big difference.
A helping hand around the house. Good company. A familiar face to count on.
For older adults who are doing well at home, and for the families who love them.
- Help and good company, without weekly home care. Once a month or every other week.
- Someone who gets to know them. Their routines, their home, how they like things done.
- You hear how the visit went. A short update after each visit, with their permission.
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Thank you. We’ll call you soon.
Someone from our Springfield office will call to answer your questions about Early Support Visits, usually the same business day. If you reached us after hours or on a weekend, we’ll call the next business day.
Rather talk now?
Call (417) 234-8494You don’t have to wait until more help is needed.
Mom is doing well at home. Dad still manages his day. But you wish someone could stop by regularly, lend a hand, and spend a little time with them.
That’s why we created Early Support Visits.
A caregiver from our team helps with everyday things while getting to know your loved one. With their permission, we’ll let you know how each visit went.
And you’ll have a team that already knows your family. There may be times, maybe after a fall or an illness, when you’re glad we’re already here. Because you’re established with Caring Companions and our wonderful caregivers, we can add support when it’s needed.
For families: you’ll hear how the visit went
If your mom or dad would like, our office sends you a short update after each visit:
- What we helped with
- How the visit went
- Anything we noticed that seemed worth mentioning
Over time, our caregivers get to know your loved one: what makes them laugh, how they take their coffee, what a usual day looks like.
Updates are a caregiver’s everyday observations. They are not a medical check, and they can’t promise to catch every change.
Caring Companions
Hi Karen. We changed the bed, made chicken soup and ran to the pharmacy today. Your mom was in great spirits and showed us her new quilt. See you in two weeks.
An example of a visit update.
What a visit looks like
Fresh sheets on the bed. A pot of soup on the stove. A trip to the store. And someone good to talk to while it all gets done.
Yes, our caregivers really clean. A visit can include:
- Dishes, the kitchen and the counters
- Sweeping, vacuuming and mopping
- Cleaning the bathroom
- Laundry and changing the bed
- Tidying and a little organizing
- Making a meal, with extra for later
- An errand or a ride
What fits in a visit
Each visit is four hours. You and your caregiver decide together what matters most that day, and the good company happens right alongside the work.
These visits keep a home comfortable from one visit to the next. They aren’t meant for a top-to-bottom deep clean or a big cleaning project. If the house needs that first, we’re glad to suggest a cleaning company.
How often, and what it costs
Once a month
$152
each 4-hour visit
Every other week
$140
each 4-hour visit
We’ll work together to find a regular visit day and time that fits your schedule and our caregiver availability. After that, your visit is on the same day and time each time, so you can plan on it.
Before the first visit: a one-time $99 assessment and setup
Before visits begin, someone from our office comes to the home to get to know your loved one, their home, how they like things done, anything to keep in mind for safety, and what they would like help with. From that we write a personal care plan for the caregiver.
The $99 is for that assessment and setup. It is separate from the four-hour visits, and it is billed with your first visit, so there is nothing to pay at the assessment.
Early Support Visits are private pay, with no long-term contract. Each visit is billed on that week’s invoice. Offered in Springfield.
Why we started it
For years, people have told us the same thing: “I don’t need much. I’d just like a hand now and then.” We never had a good answer for them. Now we do.
Good to know
- Need to move a visit? Give us at least 24 hours’ notice and there is no charge.
- We do our best to send someone your loved one knows, and we tell them who is coming. Sometimes it will be another member of our team.
- Every caregiver works for Caring Companions and has passed our background checks.
- Someone is home during the visit, and the home’s own cleaning products are used.
- These visits are not medical care.
Early Support Visits or regular home care?
Early Support Visits are for people who manage their own day. They are not a replacement for regular care when someone needs more.
Early Support Visits
- Doing well at home and managing their own day.
- Would enjoy a hand with the house and some good company.
- A visit once a month or every other week is plenty.
Regular home care
- Help with bathing, dressing or getting around.
- Help every week, 8 or more hours.
- Three levels of care, from $30 an hour.
Questions people ask
Why start visits if my parent doesn’t need home care yet?
Because this is the easy time to start. Your parent is well enough to enjoy the visits, to say how they like things done, and to get comfortable with someone new at their own pace.
They get a hand with the things that are getting a little harder, and some good company. You get to know that someone who knows them is stopping by, and you hear how it went.
And if they ever do need more help, nobody is starting from scratch with strangers.
Do your caregivers really clean?
Yes. Kitchens, floors, bathrooms, laundry and the bed. What a visit isn’t meant for is the big once-a-year jobs, like carpets, outside windows or the garage. For those, we’re glad to suggest a cleaning company.
Will it be the same caregiver each time?
We do our best to send someone your loved one knows. Sometimes it will be another member of our team, and we always tell them who is coming.
How do we pick the day?
We’ll work together to find a regular visit day and time that fits your schedule and our caregiver availability.
What if we need to move or skip a visit?
With at least 24 hours’ notice, we’ll move it at no charge. With less than 24 hours’ notice, the visit is billed at 2 hours.
Can we take a break?
Yes. Visits can be paused for up to 60 days. Just let the office know.
What is the $99 for?
It is a one-time assessment and setup fee. Before visits begin, we come to the home, get to know your loved one, and write a personal care plan for the caregiver. It is separate from the four-hour visits and is billed with the first visit. Your first phone conversation with us is free.
Where do you offer it?
In Springfield for now. If the home is somewhere else nearby, tell us on the form and we will let you know what we can offer.
What if they need more help later?
Then we talk about it together. If your loved one starts to need help more often, or hands-on help with things like bathing or dressing, regular home care is the right fit, and we can move them over without starting from the beginning. Early Support Visits aren’t a substitute for that kind of care. Plenty of people will never need more, and they are welcome to stay with Early Support Visits for as long as it fits.
Something you can do for them now.
Start with a free phone conversation. We’ll answer your questions and tell you honestly whether this is the right fit.
Talk with us firstCall (417) 234-8494