This is a method for the period right after a tour. A family that meets several agencies in one week will remember the feel of the office, the tone of the most polished staff member, and one wrong answer about overnight coverage, all in the wrong order. A separate sheet for each visit keeps the comparison tied to what was said and what was filed.

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.

Before the tour

Confirm the agency is on the federal list for the work you need. The steps are laid out in How to check any home health agency in five federal lookups. Write the registration result on the sheet and mark it file. Note which record you checked.

On the day of the tour

Write the name of the person who met you, that person's role as they described it, and whether they answered your questions directly. Write each question you asked and the answer as close to word for word as you can. Mark each answer editorial, because it is the agency speaking about itself until the answer is on paper.

What to ask for in writing

Ask for a copy of the service agreement, the written task schedule, the written policy on replacing an aide, and the written process for handling a complaint. Each becomes file once you hold it. Note which of these you received, which you were promised, and which you did not receive.

Compare only matched questions

Put the same questions at the top of every sheet. Compare agency to agency on those questions only. A question asked of one agency and skipped at another is not a comparison point. Mark the gap instead of filling it with a guess.

Lists, order, and ratings are not checks

A list order, a star count, or a first-page placement is not a check on the agency. If a list helped you choose which agencies to tour, write its source at the top of your notes and keep that note apart from the tour sheets. For a method that does not depend on any list, see How to check a provider yourself, in five lookups.

Health questions

If a question touches a family member's health, it goes to the family's doctor, not to intake staff at the agency. Record the agency's answer about its scope of work, and leave health questions off the sheet.

What the sheets decide

The sheets do not pick a winner. They show which agency answered in writing, which answered out loud, and which did not answer at all. The family makes the decision from that record.