Companion care: good company and everyday help at home
A matched caregiver for conversation, light housekeeping, meals, errands and outings, so your mom or dad has company and a hand with the day-to-day.
Phones answered 24/7. A coordinator calls back within the hour, day or night.
What companion care includes
Companion care is everyday, non-medical help at home. It isn't nursing, and it doesn't include giving medication.
- Friendly visits. A familiar person who sits down to talk, listens and shares part of the day. Your mom or dad has regular company to look forward to.
- Light housekeeping. Tidying up, dishes, laundry and keeping the kitchen in order.
- Meal prep. Making a meal your mom enjoys, and keeping her company while she eats.
- Errands. Help getting everyday errands done, like the grocery shopping.
- Outings. Company on a walk or a coffee out, at a pace that suits your dad.
Who it helps
Companion care suits people who still manage most of their own personal care. They may spend too much of the day alone. Or the housework, cooking and shopping are harder than they used to be.
Often it starts with adult children. You live across the city or across the country, or you work all day. You worry that your dad isn't eating properly, or goes days without a real conversation. A regular visit means someone is there, and you know who it is.
It also suits seniors who want to stay in their own home, and family caregivers who need a few hours covered. If what you need most is a break, see respite and overnight care.
Conversation is the heart of companion care, so we match on language as well as personality. Between them, our caregivers speak Tagalog, Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, French and more.
If needs grow, companion visits can go alongside personal care or dementia and memory care.
What to expect
You call and tell us about your mom
Call 587.443.1888, any time. A coordinator asks about her routines, what she enjoys, the language she's most comfortable in, and the help she needs. For private care, you get a written quote before the first visit.
We match a caregiver
We match by personality, language, schedule and need. Every caregiver is interviewed in person, reference-checked, criminal-record-checked and trained before joining.
A coordinator confirms each visit
Your coordinator confirms every visit and sees the whole week's schedule in one place. Each morning the schedule is checked for problems, like a visit with no caregiver assigned. The office fixes them before the visit, not after.
The visit itself
Your mom sets the pace. A private visit might be a chat over tea, lunch made together, the dishes, then a walk. When a visit is part of an approved home care plan, the caregiver follows that plan.
The same plan, week after week
Her care plan and preferences are kept on file, and the same coordinator knows her, her caregiver and your family. If her regular caregiver is away, a backup works from the same plan instead of starting from scratch.
How it's paid for
Companion care is usually arranged as private care. Here's why.
Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI) is an Alberta home care option. Your home care case manager assesses your mom or dad, approves the hours and decides what care is in the plan. You choose the provider, and Alberta Blue Cross pays for the approved hours.
Homemaking, such as light housekeeping, counts only if it is in the plan, and only alongside personal care or respite, never on its own. Your mom or dad also has to be home for the visit. So outings away from home aren't covered, and neither is a visit only for company or errands.
For approved CDHCI hours, we take care of the billing. #1 Right Care is registered to invoice Alberta Blue Cross for approved CDHCI hours. You aren't invoiced for those hours, and you get a copy of every claim statement. To learn how the program works, see our client-directed home care guide.
We offer private care on its own or on top of approved CDHCI hours. You get a written quote before any care starts, and we invoice you directly for private hours. There is no extra charge for evenings, weekends or holidays.
Every visit is at least 2 hours, on CDHCI or private. The CDHCI program doesn't add hours to meet a visit minimum. If your approved plan has shorter visits, we'll work out the schedule with you and put any cost in writing before care starts.
If your mom or dad also needs help with bathing or dressing, you can ask for a home care assessment yourself. No doctor's referral is needed. For more on visits and quotes, see home care costs, or call 587.443.1888 for a written quote.
Where we provide it
Outside these areas? Call us. We may still be able to help.
Calgary
All quadrants of Calgary and the surrounding area.
Edmonton
Edmonton's inner city and suburbs.
Red Deer
Red Deer and central Alberta.
Lethbridge
Lethbridge and southern Alberta.
Common questions
How much does companion care cost?
Is companion care covered by CDHCI?
Can the caregiver help with bathing or medication?
How long is a visit, and how often can you come?
What if my dad doesn't get along with his caregiver?
Talk to a coordinator about companion care
Call 587.443.1888 any time. Our phones are answered 24/7. Prefer to write? Use the request form, and a coordinator calls you back within the hour, day or night.