A helper that answers the phone for your care agency

When you call your care agency, a phone helper may answer.

It is a computer, not a person.
It is polite and patient. You can take your time.
It takes your message and gets it to your care team.

Part 1

What you can do

Ask about your visit.
"What time is my caregiver coming today?"
It can tell you the time of your visit. It can tell you your caregiver's name.
See how it goes
You
What time is my caregiver coming today?
Assistant
Let me check. Your visit is at 10 a.m. with Dana.
What happens next. It can tell you the time and your caregiver's name.
Say if no one has come.
"My caregiver is not here yet."
It marks your message as urgent. Your care team is told right away.
See how it goes
You
My caregiver is not here yet.
Assistant
I'm sorry. Your visit was set for 10 a.m. I'm marking this as urgent and telling your care team right now.
What happens next. Your care team is told right away. Someone from the office will follow up with you.
Ask to change a visit.
"Can we move my visit to the afternoon?"
It writes down what you want. The office makes the change and calls you back.
See how it goes
You
Can we move my visit to the afternoon?
Assistant
I can ask. Which day, and what time works?
You
Tuesday, around 2.
Assistant
Okay. I've written down Tuesday around 2. The office will make the change and call you back.
What happens next. Until the office confirms, your visit stays as it was.
Cancel a visit.
"I don't need a visit on Friday."
It notes which day and passes it to the office.
See how it goes
You
I don't need a visit on Friday.
Assistant
Okay. I've noted no visit this Friday. I'll pass that to the office.
What happens next. The office makes the change and lets you know.
Leave a message, any time.
Day or night, it takes your message. The office sees it.
See how it goes
You
I want to leave a message.
Assistant
Of course. Go ahead.
You
Please tell my caregiver to bring the mail in.
Assistant
Got it. I've saved that for the office.
What happens next. The office sees your message and passes it on.

Part 2

Things it cannot do

It cannot change your visit while you are on the phone. The office does that.
It cannot say why a caregiver is late. It will not guess. The office will find out and call you.
It cannot give medical advice. If you need help right now, hang up and call 911.

Part 3

When the helper may call you

You can call your agency's normal number any time. The helper may answer.

The helper may also call you. For example:

to tell you about a change to your visit,
to check on you after a caregiver reports a problem,
to follow up on something you asked about.

Your agency decides which calls to make.

Part 4

How to know it is really your agency

Scam calls are common. Here is how to tell the helper apart.

The helper will always:

say its name and your agency's name at the start,
say why it is calling,
let you hang up and call your agency back.

The helper will never ask for:

your Social Security number,
your bank or credit card number,
a gift card or any kind of payment,
a password or a code from a text message,
your date of birth or address to "prove" who you are.

If a caller asks for any of these, hang up. Then call your agency at the number you already have.

If you are not sure a call is real, that is okay. Hang up. Call your agency back. The helper will know why it called you.

Part 5

If you have trouble on the call

Take your time. The helper waits for you.

If you cannot hear, say "What?" or "Say that again." It will repeat, slowly.
If you need a moment, say "Hold on." It will wait quietly.
If you speak another language, ask for it. It can switch to many languages.
If you get confused, say "I don't understand." It will use shorter words.
If it is hard to keep going, say "Have someone call me." It will take your number and the office will call you.

Your number is read back to you one digit at a time, so you can check it.

Part 6

How to reach a person

Just say what you need. The helper will try to help first.
For most things, like a visit time or a change to your schedule, it takes your message. The office follows up with you.
If you still want a person, say so. Your agency may have set up a line for that. If so, the helper connects you. If no one can pick up, it takes your message and the office calls you back.
If it is urgent, like no one came, or you do not feel safe, the helper flags your message right away. The on-call team sees it first.
If it is an emergency, hang up and call 911.

Part 7

Privacy and recording

You may be talking to a computer, not a person. Some agencies record calls. If yours does, the helper will say so at the start. You can ask it any time, "Is this call being recorded?" It will tell you the truth.

The helper only shares your visit details with you and the people your agency has approved.

Part 8

Good to know

People think"I told it to cancel, so my visit is canceled."
What really happensThe helper sends your request to the office. The office makes the change and lets you know. Until then, your visit is still on.
People think"It would not tell me why my caregiver is late."
What really happensIt only says what is on the schedule. It does not guess. The office will check and call you back.
People think"I asked for a person and it took a message."
What really happensEvery message becomes a note the office sees right away. You did reach your agency.
People think"It sounded like a real person, so it must have been one."
What really happensThe helper never says it is a person. If you ask, "Are you a computer?" it will not say no.

The helper is one more way to reach your care team. Say what you need and give clear details.

What you can do

Ask about your visit.

Say if no one has come.

Ask to change a visit.

Cancel a visit.

Leave a message, any time.