Will caregivers stay after I buy a home care agency?

A home care agency has few assets beyond its caregivers, coordinators and the trust clients place in them. If they leave, clients may follow. You cannot control that, but you can learn a great deal before you buy and handle the first days with care. What buyers of a home care agency underestimate covers the wider pressures.

Learn who really holds the agency together

Ask who builds the schedule, who answers the phone when a caregiver is sick and which caregivers clients request by name. Ask whether a coordinator matters more to caregivers than the owner does. Ask the seller whether those people know about the sale and how they feel about it. Speak with them before closing if the seller allows it.

Announce the change yourself

Staff should hear about the sale from the seller and from you, in person if possible, and before it reaches them as a rumour. Explain who you are, what you plan to keep the same and who they can talk to with concerns. Do not promise what you have not checked. Ask your lawyer what the agreement says about existing staff.

Keep the first weeks steady

Keep pay dates, scheduling habits and supervisors the same at first. Change one thing at a time, and explain it before it happens. Check in with caregivers individually, and ask what makes their work harder.

• Keep the same coordinator on the phone where you can.
• Pay on the usual dates and in the usual way.
• Leave client and caregiver pairings alone unless someone asks.
• Give a named person staff can reach directly.

Send the employment questions to your lawyer

Whether staff transfer, on what terms and with what notice are questions for your lawyer. Ask before you speak to anyone about their position. Read the home care due diligence guide for the records to request.