Meet your agency's phone assistant

When you call your loved one's home care agency, an AI assistant may answer.

  • It is a computer, not a person.
  • It can answer simple questions about visits.
  • It takes your message and gets it to the right people, day or night.

Actors portray a family member and an agency.

Part 1

What you can do

  1. Ask about a visit.

    "What time is my mom's visit today?"

    It can tell you the visit times. Once it knows who you are, it can also tell you the caregiver's name and whether the visit is still on.

    See how it goes
    You

    What time is my mom's visit today?

    Assistant

    Let me check. Can I get your first and last name?

    You

    Sam Ortiz.

    Assistant

    Thanks, Sam. Your mom's visit is at 10 a.m. with Dana.

    What happens next. It shares visit details once it knows you are an approved contact.

  2. Report a change.

    "Dad is in the hospital. Please cancel this week."

    It writes down what changed and which visits it affects. Then it sends that to the office to update the schedule.

    See how it goes
    You

    Dad is in the hospital. Please cancel this week.

    Assistant

    I'm sorry to hear that. I've noted to cancel this week's visits for your dad. The office will update the schedule.

    What happens next. The office makes the change and follows up with you.

  3. Ask for a different day or time.

    "Can we move Friday's visit to the afternoon?"

    It takes the request and passes it to the scheduling team.

    See how it goes
    You

    Can we move Friday's visit to the afternoon?

    Assistant

    I can ask. What time works?

    You

    Around 3.

    Assistant

    Okay. I've written down Friday around 3. The scheduling team will confirm with you.

    What happens next. Until the office confirms, the visit stays on the books.

  4. Change what the caregiver should focus on.

    "Please skip laundry today and help with meals instead."

    It repeats the change back to you and flags it for the care team.

    See how it goes
    You

    Please skip laundry today and help with meals instead.

    Assistant

    Got it. Skip laundry today and help with meals. I'll flag that for the care team.

    What happens next. The care team sees the change before the visit.

  5. Tell the agency when something is wrong.

    "No one has shown up yet."

    It marks your message as urgent, and the team is alerted right away.

    See how it goes
    You

    No one has shown up yet.

    Assistant

    I'm sorry. I'm marking this as urgent and alerting the team right now.

    What happens next. The on-call team sees it first and follows up.

Part 2

Things it cannot do

  • It cannot finish a schedule change while you are on the phone. The office does that and will follow up.
  • It cannot say why a caregiver is late or when they will arrive. It only shares what the office has confirmed. It will not guess.
  • It cannot give medical advice. If someone needs help right now, call 911.
  • It cannot share private details about your loved one until it knows you are an approved contact.
Part 3

When the assistant may call you

You call your agency's normal phone number. The assistant may answer.

The assistant may also call or text you. The most common reasons are:

  • to tell you about a change to a visit, like a new caregiver or a new time,
  • to check in after a caregiver reports a problem or an emergency,
  • to follow up on something you asked about.

Which of these your agency uses is up to your agency.

Every call from the assistant starts by saying its name and your agency's name. If you miss the call, it may leave a message. You can call back and it will know why it called.

Part 4

What it will and won't tell you

The assistant protects your loved one's privacy. Here is how it works, in plain terms:

  • If you call from a phone number the agency has on file for you, it knows who you are. It can tell you visit times and the caregiver's name.
  • If you call from a different number, it will ask for your first and last name. That is how it checks you are an approved contact. Then it can help.
  • If it cannot confirm who you are, it will still take your message. But it will not share names, addresses, or details about the client until the office checks.
  • It never shares a caregiver's personal phone number.
  • It never tells one family's details to another.

The agency decides who is an approved contact. If you think you should be on the list and are not, ask the office.

Part 5

How to reach a person

  1. Just say what you need. The assistant will try to help first.

  2. For most requests, it takes a full message and sends it to the office. This covers things like changing a visit time or asking a schedule question. The office follows up with you.

  3. If you ask for a person, the assistant may connect you to the agency's team. This depends on how your agency set things up. If no one can pick up, it takes your message. The team calls you back.

  4. For urgent problems, like no one showing up or a safety concern, it flags your message right away. The on-call team sees it first.

  5. After hours, your message goes to the on-call team.

Part 6

Privacy and recording

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

Part 7

Good to know

  • People think"I told it to cancel, so the visit is canceled."
    What really happensThe assistant sends your request to the office. The office makes the change and will confirm with you. Until then, the visit is still on the books.
  • People think"It won't tell me why the caregiver is late."
    What really happensIt only says what the record shows. It will not guess at reasons or arrival times. The office will check and get back to you.
  • People think"It won't tell me anything about my dad."
    What really happensIt first needs to know you are an approved contact. Call from a number the agency has on file. Or give your full name so it can check. If your name is not on file, the office can add you.
  • People think"I asked for a person and it took a message instead."
    What really happensEvery message becomes a ticket. The office sees it right away. Clear details get it handled fastest.

The assistant is one more way to reach your loved one's care team. Say what you need and give clear details.