Philosophy of Care

Consumer-Directed Care

At Family & Nursing Care, we firmly believe that you know what is best for you and your loved ones. We understand that your goal is to make sure you receive the best care available. We also respect your right to make decisions and direct the care needed.

Family & Nursing Care is licensed by the Department of Health as a Nursing Referral Service Agency. Since our inception in 1968, we have operated as a registry of caregivers who are self-employed independent contractors. Through Family & Nursing Care, you have access to the best caregivers available, thanks to our rigorous screening process.

Our trained intake professionals will work with you to identify your specific needs and what schedule works best for you. A professional care coordinator will be responsible for all your scheduling, staffing, and support needs.

As a Nursing Referral Service Agency, we work for you. With the consumer-directed care philosophy, certain advantages are passed on to you, the consumer:

• Lower cost
• Clients make the decisions
• Greater continuity of care
• Stronger relationships between client and caregiver

Lower cost
The consumer-directed care model of home care allows for a lower overhead and thinner profit margin than most of our competitors. This means lower cost to you. Studies show that this model typically saves the client 20-35% when compared to other home care agencies. (Medicare Home Health Care Payments to Home Health Agencies are Considerably Higher than Costs, GAO-02-663, May 2002)

Clients make the decisions
We firmly believe that you know what is best for your loved one. You decide what care is needed, and you tell us what schedule is ideal. If you feel you have a caregiver who does not live up to your expectations, we will find you the special caregiver who does.

If you decide to change the schedule or the service, you can just give us a call. We’re available 24 hours a day to meet your needs.

Greater continuity of care
Many agencies decide which caregivers are available to you, and those caregivers can change frequently depending on the agency’s business needs. With consumer-directed care, Family & Nursing Care will not remove a caregiver in good standing unless either you or the caregiver decide to no longer work together – we don’t have that right.

Stronger bond between client and caregiver
Since caregivers tend to stay with clients on a regular basis, the caregivers quickly get to know these individuals and their tendencies. In time, the caregiver may know your loved one’s needs almost as well as you do.

Family & Nursing Care’s sister-agency, Legacy Home Care, offers a more agency-directed approach to care. For information on Legacy Home Care and its services, please visit www.legacyhomecare.org.