Before hiring a home care agency in Naperville, ask about its Illinois license, caregiver background checks and training, who supervises care, how it handles missed shifts and emergencies, what services are included, and the full cost. Compare written answers from at least two agencies, then choose the one whose plan clearly fits your loved one’s daily routine and needs.

In Illinois, a Home Services Agency provides non-medical assistance with activities of daily living, housekeeping, personal laundry, and companionship. This is different from home health or home nursing services, which may provide skilled care under a health care professional’s prescribed plan of treatment. Illinois Department of Public Health: Home Services Agencies Illinois Department on Aging: In-Home Care

A practical way to compare providers is to use three steps:

1. Define the help your loved one needs.
2. Ask every agency the same questions.
3. Score each agency for clarity, fit, and reliability.

1. Define the help needed before calling agencies

A short needs list can make conversations with agencies in Naperville, Downers Grove, and nearby communities more productive. Illinois identifies several types of non-medical in-home assistance, including companionship; meal preparation, light housekeeping, and errands; bathing, dressing, and grooming; walking and moving around the home or community; transportation; and medication reminders. Illinois Department on Aging: In-Home Care

Before making calls, write down:

• Help needed: Bathing, meals, companionship, transfers, errands, or another daily task
• Preferred schedule: Days, hours, overnight needs, and weekend needs
• Important routines: Wake-up time, pets, language preferences, hobbies, and food preferences
• Current concerns: Memory changes, caregiver exhaustion, or a recent discharge
• Transportation and errands: Doctor appointments, grocery shopping, or other regular trips
• Care that may require another provider: Skilled nursing, therapy, medication administration, or wound care

Be specific about transportation. Does your loved one need a caregiver to drive them to a doctor’s appointment, stay with them during the appointment, and bring them home safely? Or do they mainly need help with grocery shopping and other errands that support independence and healthy aging at home? Ask each agency which of these tasks its caregivers can perform.

If your loved one needs skilled nursing, injections, wound care, therapy, or medication administration, ask a health care professional about the appropriate provider type rather than assuming a non-medical home care agency provides those services. IDPH describes home health agencies as providers of skilled nursing and at least one other home health service under a prescribed plan of treatment. Illinois Department of Public Health: Home Health Agencies

2. Ask Illinois licensing and safety questions first

Ask these questions before discussing schedules or rates:

1. Are you licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health as a Home Services Agency? What is your license number and expiration date?
2. Does your IDPH-approved geographic service area include my loved one’s home address?
3. Are caregivers employees of your agency or independent contractors?
4. How do you conduct and document background checks before a caregiver begins work?
5. Can you confirm that you verify applicable caregiver information through the Illinois Health Care Worker Registry?
6. Do you carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage? Can you provide proof?
7. What is your process if there is a complaint, suspected abuse, or possible financial exploitation?

Ask each agency to provide its license details, then confirm them with IDPH. Do not rely only on a website badge, social media page, or third-party listing. IDPH provides information about Home Services Agencies, including a Home Services Directory and complaint resources. Illinois Department of Public Health: Home Services Agencies

The Illinois Health Care Worker Registry includes background-check information, training information for certified nursing assistants and other health care workers, and administrative findings involving abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property. For covered positions, a health care employer must verify an individual’s registry status before employment. Illinois Health Care Worker Registry

3. Ask how caregivers are screened, trained, and matched

A caregiver’s ability to fit your loved one’s routine may matter as much as the agency’s service list. Ask:

• How do you screen candidates beyond required background checks?
• What initial and ongoing training do caregivers receive?
• What training is available for dementia-related changes, mobility support, or our family’s specific needs?
• How do you match caregivers with schedules, personalities, language needs, and routines?
• Can we meet the proposed caregiver before service begins?
• Will we usually have the same caregiver? If not, how will new caregivers be introduced?
• How does a supervisor monitor caregiver performance and respond to family feedback?

The National Institute on Aging’s hiring worksheet encourages families to ask how providers check caregiver background and experience, provide training, communicate with families, and handle problems. National Institute on Aging: Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Care Provider

You can also ask what documentation the agency maintains. An IDPH Home Services surveillance checklist includes employee training files and Health Care Worker Registry verifications among materials available for survey review. IDPH Home Services Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist

4. Test reliability: scheduling, supervision, and emergencies

Instead of asking only, “Are you available 24/7?” ask how the agency operates when plans change:

• What is the minimum shift length?
• Are requirements different for weekends, holidays, or overnight care?
• If our regular caregiver calls off, who contacts us, how quickly, and what backup options are available?
• Who is the after-hours contact for a missed shift or urgent concern?
• What should a caregiver do if a loved one falls, becomes confused, or refuses care?
• Who supervises the care plan, and how often is it reviewed?
• How will you communicate schedule changes or concerns to family members who live out of town?
• Can we request a different caregiver, and how does that process work?
• If the regular caregiver is unavailable, can backup coverage come from the same one or two caregivers each time?

A small, consistent backup rotation may help your loved one feel more comfortable than meeting a different substitute each time. Ask whether the agency can realistically provide that type of continuity; do not assume it can.

The National Institute on Aging worksheet prompts families to ask whether a provider is available around the clock for emergencies, how information will be communicated, and who to contact if there is a problem. National Institute on Aging: Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Care Provider IDPH survey materials also include a complaint log and complaint process among the records agencies may need to maintain. IDPH Home Services Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist

5. Get full costs and the agreement in writing

Request a written estimate before care begins. Ask:

• What is the hourly rate, minimum visit length, and billing increment?
• Are rates different for nights, weekends, or holidays?
• Are there assessment, deposit, cancellation, mileage, transportation, or short-notice fees?
• What is included and excluded from the rate?
• Which payment methods or long-term care insurance documentation do you accept?
• How much notice is required to change or stop care?
• Can we review the service agreement and care plan before signing?

A low hourly rate may not be the lowest overall cost if the agency has minimum visit requirements or additional fees. The National Institute on Aging advises families to gather information about services, fees, terms, and restrictions before signing an agreement. National Institute on Aging: Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Care Provider

6. Use a comparison scorecard

After speaking with at least two agencies, record the answers in the same format. This hypothetical scorecard can help organize the decision:

Use this scoring method:

• 2 points: Clear written answer
• 1 point: Partial answer that needs follow-up
• 0 points: Unclear or evasive answer

The highest score is not automatically the best choice. The score shows which agency deserves a closer final conversation. Also note whether your loved one feels comfortable with the proposed caregiver match. A plan that looks good on paper still needs to feel workable for the person receiving care and the family coordinating it.

Common mistakes to avoid

Families comparing home care in Naperville, Downers Grove, or elsewhere in DuPage County often benefit from watching for these problems:

• Choosing based only on star ratings or the lowest hourly rate
• Confusing non-medical home services with skilled home health care
• Accepting verbal pricing without asking about minimums and extra fees
• Not asking what happens when the regular caregiver is unavailable
• Choosing before confirming schedule needs and geographic service area
• Comparing agencies using different questions or different assumptions

If you are searching for the “highest-rated elderly care agencies in Downers Grove” or an agency with the “best reputation” in DuPage County, treat reputation as one consideration, not a substitute for state verification, written policies, references, and your own interview.

A simple success check

Before signing, your family should be able to answer all of these questions:

• What care will be provided?
• Who will we call after hours?
• What will we pay, including likely additional fees?
• How will caregiver absences be handled?
• Who supervises the plan?
• What will we do if the caregiver match is not working?

Families may request a personalized home care consultation from ComForCare Naperville & Downers Grove at (630) 536-8501 to discuss routines, schedules, and non-medical support needs. The local office is independently owned and operated and lists companionship, personal care, meal preparation, medication reminders, transportation, respite, and safety supervision among its services, and it matches caregivers to clients based on personality as well as experience. It describes its caregiver approach this way: “All caregivers are screened, trained, and checked for competency.” Services and availability should be confirmed directly with the office. ComForCare Naperville & Downers Grove

Each office is independently owned and operated and is an equal opportunity employer.