You are on hold, you are half-listening to the kids argue about a permission slip, and you finally type 'cleaner for Mom's house' into your phone. Three companies come up. They all sound nice on their websites. Here is how to tell them apart on the phone and at the door, without needing to be an expert in floors.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Ask who actually walks in
Ask whether you get the same person every visit or a rotating crew. Then ask who will be in Mom's house on a week when you are at work and nobody is watching the clock. A company that cannot name the people, or will not explain how it introduces them, is telling you something. Ask whether the cleaners are employees or contractors, and whether the company's insurance covers its workers inside a customer's home. Those are questions to ask, and the answers belong in writing.
Compare what they bring and what they expect
Some crews arrive with everything in the van. Others expect the house to be stocked with the right products, a working vacuum, and a step stool they can reach. Ask what they bring, what they need from you, and which surfaces they will not use products on, such as wood, glass, or certain bathroom tile. If there is a dog or a cat, ask how they handle doors and gates. Ask for a walk-through before the first visit and notice whether the person asks you the same questions back.
Ask what happens when someone calls out
Somebody gets sick, a car won't start, a snow day closes the roads. Ask how the company covers the visit, whether you get a call before the crew is at the door, and whether you can move or cancel a visit without a fight. The answer to a schedule slip often tells you more than the brochure does.
Keys, codes, and the door
Find out who holds a key, where the spare is kept, and whether the company keeps a record of entries. If your mother's house has a door code or an alarm, decide who gives the code to the crew and whether it changes after each visit. Write it down in one place you both can find, not on a sticky note on the fridge.
Keep the cleaner on cleaning
A cleaner is not the afternoon helper. If what you actually need is someone who will be there in the afternoon, check on the meals, and walk your mother to the car, that is a different search with different questions. Hire the right job for the right hours and keep the lines straight. If you are not sure where to start, the Local Help in St. Louis page covers local options.
Put the agreement in writing before the first visit
Before anyone starts, get these on paper: the list of tasks, the hours, the days of the week, how the crew is introduced, how call-outs are handled, how keys are kept, and how you cancel. Read it aloud with your mother if she is up for it. If the company will not put its answers in writing, that is your answer.