Companion care is company, not medical treatment. It means someone who sits with him at breakfast, drives him to the hardware store, reminds him to drink something, helps with a load of laundry, and keeps an eye on the house while you are at work. The agency's name on the paperwork matters less than the person who walks through his front door, and the systems that decide who that person is. This is the part you need to compare.

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.

Screening

Ask each agency what they check before a caregiver is ever introduced to a client. Ask whether they run a criminal background check, verify references by calling them, and confirm identity. Ask how often they recheck. A good agency will answer plainly and will not treat the question as an insult. If the answer is vague, the screening probably is too.

Supervision

Ask who checks on the caregiver during the job, how often, and how you will hear about it if something goes wrong. Ask whether the agency has a supervisor who visits the home and talks to your father, and what that looks like in practice. Some agencies send a check-in call. Others only send a bill. You want to know which one you are buying.

What happens on a bad day

Every agency has bad days. Ask what they do when the usual caregiver is sick, late, or cannot come. Ask how quickly they can send a replacement, whether that person has been in the home before, and whether you will be called before the change or only after. For a man who likes the same face at the table, a sudden stranger can be the hardest part of the week.

What the caregiver may and may not do

Non-medical caregivers can remind him when it is time for his pills, and they can pick up a prescription as an errand. They do not hand out, give, sort or manage medicine. That stays with you, his doctor and his pharmacist. When you compare agencies, ask them to put this in writing so there is no confusion on the first morning.

The written care plan and the contract

Ask for a care plan that lists the tasks, the hours, and the things he has agreed to. Sit down with him and read it together. A plan he helped write is one he will follow. Then read the contract for minimum hours, cancellation notice, how changes are billed, and who you call at night. Compare those terms side by side, not only the hourly rate.

Meet the caregiver before the first full shift

Ask for a short introduction visit where the caregiver comes to the kitchen while you are there. Watch how your father speaks to them, and how they speak to him. You will learn more in twenty minutes than from any brochure. If the agency will not allow this, treat it as information.

Where to find local help

If you are in St. Louis and want to compare options near you, the Local Help for a Widowed Father in St. Louis page lists the kinds of support worth asking about. For how we approach questions like this, see How We Write.

Tonight

Write down the three questions above that you could not answer from the agency's website. Call two agencies and ask them. Keep the notes. The one that answers clearly, without making you feel rushed, is usually the one to take a second look at.