What to Ask Before You Let Anyone Into Your Parent's Home

You're not hiring a service. You're deciding who gets a key.

That's a different kind of decision, and the usual sales conversation isn't built for it. Below are the questions worth asking — of us, or of anyone else you're considering. A few of them are uncomfortable to ask. All of them are reasonable.

Who, exactly, is coming

1. Will it be the same person each time?

This is the question that changes the most and gets asked the least. Some providers assign a consistent person. Others send whoever is available that day. Both are legitimate models, but they produce very different experiences, and you should know which one you're buying.

2. What happens when that person is sick or on vacation?

Everyone has an answer to question one. Fewer have a good answer to this one. Ask what the coverage actually looks like and whether you'll be told in advance.

3. Are they employees or independent contractors?

Worth knowing, because it determines who carries insurance, who handles payroll taxes, and who is responsible if something goes wrong. It also determines what happens if the person is injured in your parent's house — a question most families don't think to ask until it matters. Ask specifically about workers' compensation: Texas is one of the few states that doesn't require employers to carry it, so plenty don't.

Neither answer is disqualifying. A vague answer is.

4. What screening did they go through, and how recently?

Ask specifically: background check, driving record if they'll be driving, and when it was last run.

5. Can we meet them before the first visit?

Reasonable people say yes.

What's actually covered

6. What will you not do?

Ask for the list of exclusions, not the list of services. The exclusions tell you more, and a provider who can recite them clearly has thought about their own boundaries.

7. Is this medical care?

Non-medical companionship and licensed home health are different things with different rules. Confusing the two is how families end up paying for the wrong one. If someone is vague here, that's the answer.

8. Who drives, and in whose car?

If transportation matters to you, ask now. Ask about insurance, and whether appointments count as part of a visit or something billed separately.

What you'll hear afterward

9. What will I actually be told after a visit?

"We'll keep you updated" isn't an answer. Ask to see an example. A useful update says what happened, how the person seemed, and whether anything is worth your attention.

10. What happens if something seems wrong?

Ask who gets contacted, how quickly, and what the threshold is. Then ask what happens if it's an emergency rather than a concern.

How the money works

11. How is it billed, and what's the minimum?

Hourly rates usually come with visit minimums — often three or four hours. Monthly memberships bundle differently. Neither is a trick; just make sure you know which you're signing.

12. How do we stop?

Ask about notice periods, cancellation, and whether you can pause. Ask before you start, when the answer costs you nothing.

How we answer these

It would be strange to publish this list and not answer it.

• The same companion is the goal, and we prioritize it. If your regular companion is unavailable, we tell you and arrange coverage.
• Companions are ThereWhen employees, not independent contractors. We carry general liability and workers' compensation, commercial auto coverage for the driving, and a fidelity bond. In plain terms: if a companion is hurt in your mother's house, that's ours to handle rather than something her homeowner's policy gets pulled into. Where the person is self-employed, none of that is automatic — the coverage is theirs to carry or not.
• Companions are vetted before they visit anyone — reference checks and background checks — and they go through rigorous training before their first visit. Background screening and driving records are then updated every year, so it isn't a single check at hire and never again.
• We're not home healthcare. No nursing, no medication management, no bathing or dressing, no overnight supervision, no emergency response. That list isn't going to change.
• Every visit ends with an update — what we did, how things went, anything we think you should know. Approved family members can see them in the account.
• If something seems off, we contact the family and say what we saw. We don't diagnose. If it looks like an emergency, we call emergency services.
• Billing is a monthly membership, priced by visit frequency, with no long-term contract. You can pause or adjust.
• Appointments happen inside visits. Tell us in advance so the visit is built around it.

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Ask us all twelve. If an answer isn't good enough, that's useful information, and you should keep looking.