| 858-369-5930 |
| Home |
| Best Baby Ever! |
| Services |
| Our Staff |
| Healthy Life |
| News & Events |
| About Us |
| FAQs |
| Testimonials |
Home > Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Home care can be a complicated topic. This section of our website may be able to answer some of your questions about service, pricing, and packages.
If you have questions that need immediate answer, quesetions about rates, or anything not found on this page, please call:
858-369-5930
Click on the links beneath the categories below to direct you to a specific answer or scroll down to read them all.
Quality Questions
What kind of balance is there between price and quality?
How do you evaluate caregivers before hiring them?
What happens if a caregiver is injured while in my home?
What happens if a caregiver calls out sick?
What makes Whole Life Home Health Care different than another Home Care agency?
Contant Information
What are the hours to call with questions?
Who shall I talk to if I have a billing question?
Why is Home Care so expensive?
Quality Caregivers!
In hiring employees we screen very carefully for experience and for honesty, maturity and compassion. Our caregivers are required to have a nice car and insurance, so that they may transport you and your loved ones safely. They must have education, training and experience in the field and we make sure that they have current vaccinations, clean health history and are not contagious. In order to attract and hire excellent staff we need to pay a living wage and that is quite high here in San Diego.
Remember, the agency also pay for taxes, insurance, continuing education, vacation and many other benefits to keep you caregivers happy in their jobs.
We are also heavily insured for your benefit, for example, all of our caregivers have Worker's Compensation protection. This is very important because if any care giver is hurt at your home or providing care to yOur Staff this insurance will cover them. If you hired a care giver privately and did not pay for this insurance, the hurt worker could still file a claim and then you would be responsible for heavy fines and penalties as well as the premiums.
You also have the benefit of advocacy, supervision, support and training from our RN. Home care RN's or Geriatric Care Managers usually cost $150-$200 per hour. Our RN assessment and support services are absolutely free to your Staff.
More questions about pricing?
Talk to Vicki. She's not only an experienced caregiver and holistic specialist, but she's a registered RN and the CEO.
Vicki Wolfrum, RN
CEO / RN CNM / IBCLC / CHCM
Does Insurance cover non-medical home care?
Long term care insurance covers non-medical home care for seniors who meet the criteria. There are also programs from the Veteran's administration, Regional Center and Medi-Cal that may provide some coverage for non-medical homecare.
We can advise you if any of these insurances would cover your care and help you apply for coverage. Most home care must be paid for out of pocket.
Doesn't Medicare pay for home health care?
Yes, Medi-care does pay for "short term and intermittent" home health care when ordered by a physician. This is usually a nurse coming 1-2 weekly to perform medical procedures like IVs or dressing changes. They may also pay for 1-2 weekly visits from a homemaker for a limited time.
They do not assist with activities of daily living. They do not provide long term support and assistance. We often work together with home health agencies to provide the majority of the care.
What kind of balance is there between price and quality?
We understand that privately paid home care is expensive and we will work together with you to make it affordable. We will do everything possible to provide the most qualified person for the job. If finances are an issue please feel free to explain them to us so that we can best accommodate your budget. We may not be the cheapest homecare available but we are the best. Home care is only as good as the providers and we receive nothing but compliments about our caregivers.
To offer your loved one the best possible care, we strive to have the best quality caregiver available for the job. This means that we do not pay our workers minimum wage but try to pay something commiserate with their skills and talents. We look for and pay for experience, for home health aide and nursing assistant certifications and for college education. If we send a specialty care giver, we make sure that they have the proper education and licenses.
We know that a caregiver who has a long work history of reliability and honesty is more valuable than gold. This is why we pay attention to references. We also have seen that the caregivers who have had the perseverance, intelligence and maturity to pursue a college degree are more responsible.Back To Top
How do you evaluate caregivers before hiring them?
Our caregivers go through extensive background checks, drug screens, and in house training. We offer you peace of mind and security knowing that we only allow caregivers to work if they pass all of the checks and have great references.
Find out more about the recognition our caregivers receive, by viewing our Testimonials page.
Want to find out more about our caregivers and our staff?
Talk to Debbie. She's a pro and she can answer just about any questions you have about rates, services, our staff, and any other frequently asked questions you may have.
Debbie Goble
Director of Client Services
What happens if a caregiver is injured while in my home?
All of our caregivers are employees. We pay their taxes and most importantly we pay their Worker's Compensation Insurance, disability insurance and unemployment insurance. When you have a worker in your home who is not an employee of an agency, who is injured on the job, it is your responsibility. They will file with the State for Worker's Compensation. If you have not paid into this system, not only will you have to pay for the injury but you will have to pay back insurance premiums taxes and penalties to the state.
Back To Top
What happens if a caregiver calls out sick?
When your caregiver is sick or has an accident, we will immediately send a substitute, so that your loved one will never be without care. If we don't have a replacement caregiver available, the CEO will come herself. We take our responsibility very seriously and will never leave you without care.
Back To Top
What are the hours to call with questions?
You can call 858-369-5930 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our RN is available to answer important questions and we have a very helpful staff to address any non-medical questions about services.
Talk to Vicki. She's not only an experienced caregiver and holistic specialist, but she's a registered RN and the CEO.
Vicki Wolfrum, RN
CEO / RN CNM / IBCLC / CHCM
What makes Whole Life different than another Home Care agency?
We are the first holistic home care agency in San Diego to offer Integrative Care, combining conventional western medicine with proven complimentary and alternative therapies.
We are a dedicated and compassionate health care team providing superior care for the whole person, addressing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of each.
We believe that a profitable and green, medical business model giving better care at a lower cost will improve community health care.
Back To Top
What is the difference between an nanny and a doula?
Postpartum doulas have special education and training to care for both the mother and the baby following the birth. They have more knowledge and experience in specialty areas like breastfeeding, helping siblings adjust to a newborn, post cesarean recovery and postpartum depression. Doulas specialize in caring for the entire family during the first 6 weeks after a new baby comes home. Some postpartum doulas are willing to stay with a new mother and her infant(s) for up to the first year of life.
Nannies may have experience with newborns and new mothers but their focus is primarily on the newborn. They usually have a skill for feeding difficult infants or helping the new family to develop good sleep routines. Many nannies stay with families for years as the children grow and develop. We offer on-going education and training for all of our nannies.
Can I split a shift over two days?
No the special shift rate is only for 10 or 12 or 24 hours worked in a single day.
We do have some special rates for live -in and full time nannies and doulas.
Who shall I talk to if I have a billing question?
Charges are usually quoted when the job is booked and will be written on Whole Life Home Care Contract of Services. Initial rates are usually provided when the representative from Whole Life makes your home visit and explains our services to you.
If the job hours or requirements necessitate a change, you will receive a written change from our billing services. If you have any questions or problems with our billing, please contact LeAnn Rytz or Lisa Pryor during business hours at 858-369-5930.
How often can my rates change?
You can expect that your rates will change once a year by 2-5% based on the cost of living increases.
You will receive 60 days notice before any increase in your annual rates. If your rates change because
the job changes, a new baby comes home for example, you will be given 7 days notice.
Rates may rise because of higher gas prices and other cost of living increases.
When your rates rise, you can expect that your nannies wages will increase as well.
Vicki Wolfrum
CEO / RN CNM / IBCLC / CHCM
vicki@wholelifehomecare.com
If you have any questions about our services, rates, packages, and availability, please call Vicki Wolfrum at 858-369-5930
Have a specific question that you can't find on our Frequently Asked Questions? Contact Us and we'll find a solution for you!