How do I tell home care clients and their families the agency is sold?

Home care clients and their families can worry about changes to the people who come into the home. A sale can feel like a threat to that, even when nothing changes. Good communication is calm, early enough to avoid rumours and specific about what stays the same. Build the plan with the buyer, and keep it in step with the guide to selling a home care agency.

Wait until the sale is certain

Telling clients too soon causes worry if the deal falls through. Telling them late looks like secrecy. Agree a date with the buyer once the conditions are met, and prepare the message before that date. Ask your lawyer what the agreement and your privacy obligations allow you to say.

Decide who delivers the news

The familiar voice should deliver it: you, a long-serving coordinator or both. Personal calls to the clients and families who rely on the agency most, followed by a short letter to everyone else, work well. The buyer can introduce themselves in the letter and on a first visit, if clients want one.

Keep the visits familiar

The most reassuring message is that the same caregivers keep coming at the same times. Only promise that if you and the buyer have confirmed it with the staff. Tell clients how to reach the office and who will answer.

Tell referral sources and give a named contact

Case coordinators and other referral sources should hear from you before they hear it elsewhere. Give everyone one named person for questions and complaints, and make sure that person has time to answer them. Record each concern and how it was settled, then pass the record to the buyer.