How to choose a home care provider in Winnipeg
Call 204-798-0490
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To choose a home care provider in Winnipeg, ask every agency the same ten questions on the phone, because Manitoba Health does not license private home care agencies, so it does not set screening, insurance or minimums for them; each company does. This page lists the questions and how we answer them at Friendly Caregiver Seniors Care, so you can compare us with anyone else you call. Call 204-798-0490, answered 24 hours a day, or contact us.
Start with what you need
Write down three things before the first call.
- What a normal day looks like now, and where it goes wrong: the stairs, the bath, meals, nights, loneliness, appointments.
- Which hours need covering. Mornings three days a week is a different search than every night.
- Whether WRHA Home Care is already involved. An assessed parent may have public hours, or qualify for Self and Family Managed Care funding that can pay a private agency. If not, the intake line is 204-788-8330.
If you also need nursing, you may be choosing two providers: many private agencies, including ours, are non-medical.
Ten questions to ask any home care agency on the phone
1. What checks does every caregiver complete before their first visit?
With no provincial licence, this question replaces it. A clear answer names the checks: criminal record, adult abuse registry, child abuse registry, and whether a vulnerable sector search is included; “all our staff are screened” is not an answer.
Our answer: every caregiver completes a criminal record check, an adult abuse registry check and a child abuse registry check before starting with a family.
2. Are you insured, and are you bonded?
Insurance covers the agency’s liability; bonding covers theft. Ask whether caregivers are employees or contractors, and about Workers Compensation Board coverage.
Our answer: Friendly Caregiver Seniors Care is insured.
3. Will the same caregiver come every visit?
A senior who sees a new face each week explains the house and the routine over and over. Ask what happens when the caregiver is sick or away, and who tells you.
Our answer: the owner, Loreta Stukaite, matches one caregiver to your family herself and comes to the first visit with them. The same caregiver returns for every scheduled visit where possible; if yours is away, Loreta tells you who is coming and when.
4. What is the minimum visit, and is there a minimum per week?
Ask both, and whether short-notice or one-off visits are possible.
Our answer: 3 hours per visit, seven days a week. Short-notice respite is often possible when a caregiver is available.
5. How is the rate set, and what does it include?
Ask for the hourly rate, whether evenings, weekends and holidays cost more, how overnight care is priced, and what is in the hour: housekeeping and meals, or personal care only.
Our answer: billed by the hour, rate set by the care plan and quoted at the free consultation. Housekeeping and meals are part of a care visit, not an extra. More in how much private home care costs in Winnipeg.
6. Do you accept Self and Family Managed Care funding?
If your family has or may get SFMC funding, ask whether the agency has SFMC families now and invoices in a way the WRHA contract accepts.
Our answer: yes; we serve SFMC families and provide clear invoices for their records.
7. Who supervises the caregiver, and who do I call when something is wrong?
Ask who your contact is, what hours they answer, and how quickly a caregiver can be changed.
Our answer: Loreta. She chose the caregiver, so she is the person who changes it; call 204-798-0490, answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
8. How fast can care start?
Ask for a realistic start date, not a promise.
Our answer: usually within days of the free consultation, sometimes sooner. If your parent is being discharged from HSC, St. Boniface, Grace, Concordia, Seven Oaks or Victoria this week, call before the discharge date.
9. Do you work inside 55+ buildings, assisted living and retirement residences?
Our answer: yes, anywhere in Winnipeg, in the senior’s own home or inside those buildings when the family wants more help than the building provides.
10. What do your caregivers not do?
Medication, nursing tasks, driving clients, handling money: a good agency states its limits plainly.
Our answer: our care is non-medical. We do not employ licensed nurses, so our caregivers do not administer medication, give injections, change dressings, or provide nursing or palliative care; they give reminders about medication that is already set out.
Locally owned or a franchise
Winnipeg has both, and neither is automatically better. A franchise can mean standard procedures and a larger pool of staff; a locally owned agency can mean the owner answers the phone and also hires, matches and supervises every caregiver. Ask who owns the agency and who decides about your parent’s care; the ten answers above matter more. Friendly Caregiver is locally owned in Winnipeg and family-run since 2009.
How to check what you were told
- Ask for written confirmation that the checks were done for the caregiver assigned to your family.
- Read the Google reviews for what they describe. The same caregiver mentioned over years tells you more than a star count; a small agency may simply have few reviews.
- Meet the caregiver before care starts, with someone from the agency present.
- Call the WRHA Home Care intake line, 204-788-8330, even if you intend to go private. The assessment costs nothing and may unlock hours or SFMC funding.
What the first consultation should look like
With us: Loreta talks through a normal day and which hours need covering, and answers the ten questions. You get a quote, free and without obligation. If you go ahead, she picks one caregiver for your family and comes to the first visit with them.
Frequently asked questions
Are home care agencies licensed in Manitoba?
No. Manitoba Health states that it does not license private home care companies or agencies, which is why the screening question is the first thing to ask any Winnipeg agency.
Can I use both WRHA home care and a private agency?
Yes. Many of our families keep their assessed WRHA hours and add private visits for evenings, overnights or outings; families with SFMC funding may hire an agency for the funded hours. The intake line is 204-788-8330.
How do I switch home care providers if it is not working?
Check the notice period in your agreement, line up the new agency’s start date first so there is no gap, and if SFMC funding is involved tell your case coordinator. With us, care usually starts within days of the free consultation.
Ask us the same ten questions
Call 204-798-0490 or contact us. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the consultation is free. See also our caregivers and private home care in Winnipeg.