Home Care Client Handbook

A 26-page editable Word client handbook for a US non-medical home care agency to give each new client and their family: what you do, what you don't do, and how everything works.

For home care agency owners, administrators and supervisors who want a clear, plain-language guide for clients, adaptable to their own state. Plus 1 agency instructions page to remove before use (27 pages in the file).

What's included

1. Cover page, welcome letter to the client, and table of contents
2. Section 1, Welcome (mission, values, about our caregivers, how to reach us)
3. Section 2, How to Use This Handbook (what it is and is not, other formats and languages, key words)
4. Section 3, Services We Provide and Services We Do Not Provide (including medication reminders, moving and lifting, money and errands, transportation)
5. Section 4, Your Rights and Responsibilities
6. Section 5, Planning Your Services (first call, home visit, service plan, service agreement)
7. Section 6, Scheduling and Your Caregiver (late or missed visits, visit check-in, gifts, cameras, keys)
8. Section 7, Billing, Payment and Rates
9. Section 8, Cancellations and Changes
10. Section 9, Safety and Emergencies
11. Section 10, Advance Directives and Your Wishes (general information about common documents; no legal forms)
12. Section 11, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation: How to Report
13. Section 12, Your Privacy
14. Section 13, Complaints and Grievances
15. Section 14, Ending or Pausing Services
16. Section 15, Frequently Asked Questions
17. Section 16, Your Signed Receipt
18. Appendix A, Handbook Receipt and Acknowledgment
19. Appendix B, Client Complaint and Grievance Form
20. Appendix C, Important Phone Numbers
21. Agency instructions page, to remove before use

The handbook cites policy numbers from our Home Care Agency Policy and Procedure Manual (sold separately), so the two can be kept in step. If you don't use that manual, replace or delete the policy numbers.

How to customize

1. Open the Word file and replace the Logo box on the cover with your logo, then edit the Agency Name text in the page header.
2. Use Find & Replace to change [Agency Name] to your agency's name, and fill in [Client Name] and the contact lines on the welcome letter for each client.
3. Use Find & Replace to change [State] to your state, then work through each "State-varies note" and blank line using your state's rules.
4. Fill in Appendix C, delete the instructions page, update the table of contents, and save or print.

Customizable template, not legal advice; have an attorney review for your state. Not state-approved, no guarantee that your agency meets any law, license rule or payer contract, not a license to operate, not HIPAA software, and no medical claims.