Training shapes what an aide knows about your home, your routine, and the agency's expectations. Before you choose, you want the agency's own training program in writing, not a general statement that training happens. This guide lists what to ask, what to write down, and how to compare the answers across agencies serving the St. Louis area. It stays non-medical throughout.
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 for the required class list
Ask the office to name every class an aide must finish before the first shift. Typical topics include safety in the home, confidentiality of household information, reporting concerns to the office, emergency procedures, and communication with older clients, including those with memory changes. Ask which classes are held in person and which are online, and whether the office confirms completion before an aide is assigned.
Ask how refreshers repeat
A class finished at hiring is only the start. Ask how often each required class repeats, what triggers an extra class such as a change in agency policy, an incident report, or a new kind of household task, and who schedules it. Write the answer in one line. If the office cannot say how often refreshers repeat, mark that as an open item to resolve before you sign.
Ask for the record, not the claim
A verbal statement that training is done is not a record. Ask whether the office keeps a training file for each aide, whether the family can see a summary for the aide who would come to the home, and how the family requests it. Ask which person at the office holds the file. This is where the family will look if a question comes up later.
Ask about home-specific orientation
General training does not replace orientation to your home. Ask whether the office walks an assigned aide through the household routine, the layout, the equipment already in the home, and the family's written preferences before the first shift. Ask whether that orientation is logged, and whether the family is present for it or receives a copy.
Ask how concerns get reported
Ask what an aide is trained to do when something seems wrong in the home, such as a spill, a door that will not open, a power outage, or a household member who seems upset. Ask who the aide calls first, who the office calls next, and when the family is notified. Get the answer in writing.
Compare the answers on one sheet
Write each agency's answers on the same sheet, one row per question: required classes, refresher cycle, record location, home orientation, and concern reporting. Leave a row blank if the answer is missing rather than filling it in from another agency's answer. A blank row is a finding to bring back to the office.
What a weak answer looks like
An answer that says training is standard, without a class list, a repeat cycle, or a record location, is an incomplete answer. Ask again in writing. If the office still cannot name the classes, move the agency lower on your comparison and keep its written answers on file so the comparison stays fair.