How do I create an account?
You will see two options on our landing page: If you are looking for a Caregiver, click the “I NEED CARE” button; if you are a Caregiver, click the “I GIVE CARE” button. At first you will be taken to a page for you to validate your email address. Once you have submitted the form and validated your email address, you will be taken to a process to log in and easily create your account or an account for the person who you are trying to find a care for.
I created an account, but cannot log into the system?
You must first make sure you have validated your email address. If you have not validated your email address, or did not receive a activation email, then go to LOGIN. Click the link: Haven’t received your activation email? If you validated your email address, you may have to request a new password from the log in screen. If your new password does not work, please contact Keep Safe Care Direct’s technical support at 844-492-2273 or at support@keepsafecaredirect.com.
Who manages the account?
The person who created an account for a family member, or friend, becomes the Care Administrator for that Careseeker. The Care Administrator manages all aspects of care for the Careseeker and can add and remove family and friends from the Care-Circle. The role of Care Administrator can be reassigned to another person in the Care-Circle at any time. Other non-administrative members of the Care-Circle can log into the Keep Safe Care Direct system to review and be informed of services provided to the Careseeker.
What do you mean by Careseeker?
The Careseeker is the individual who will be receiving care from a Caregiver. While a spouse, adult child, or parent may be the one who is looking for a Caregiver, when “Careseeker” is used on the website, it means the person receiving care and the one you create an account for. A Careseeker (or recipient) can have up to 10 Family Members or individuals added to their Care Circle. Only one of these members can have administrative power to manage the care of the Careseeker.
What is a Care-Pair?
A Care-Pair is when a Careseeker hires a Caregiver. Care-Pair hours are the hours that a Caregiver works for a Careseeker.
What is a Care View?
Your Care View is comprised of the members of your family, friends or guardians who have permission to access (view) your account under their own log in. You can add up to 10 individuals who are kept up to date of your caregiving status. You can also remove these individuals from your Care View Circle as you see fit. One member of your Care View Circle may act as your Care Administrator and manage all aspects of your account.
Why was Keep Safe Care Direct started?
Keep Safe Care Direct was started because Jeffrey Fry (our founder) was forced to take care of his mother when his brother died unexpectedly. During those 7 years, he discovered the incredibly poor quality of care, the unfair wages given Caregivers, and the unreliable care given to his mother using private duty agencies. He was convinced there was a better way.
What is Keep Safe Care Direct’s mission?
A growing number of people want to stay in their own home as they age. Family members are more often living out-of-state or unable to assist and it is hard to find safe and affordable long-term care and companionship for their loved one. While many families cannot afford the exorbitant rates of traditional homecare agencies, they also realize that they need to know how to self direct care and prepare for the future. We know, at Keep Safe Care Direct, that we will live longer lives than in past generations and a solution is needed. By finding a Caregiver that is the Right Fit at the Right Price with the Right Guidance and Support, we will reduce hospital stays, cost, emergency room visits as well as STRESS. Our mission it to take care to the next level.
How is Keep Safe Care Direct different from other on-line companies?
Obtaining care for yourself or someone you love is a stressful event and that you want someone there who can help. That is why when you sign up, you get an experienced individual to help you through this process and give your information on resources in your area, to keep you or your loved one safely in their home.
Having a caregiver come into your home is a fearful transition and our NCPMs are there to “hold your hand” during the process. We also know that the vast majority of people looking for care will be the adult children of the elderly and, in most cases, will be more than 100 miles away from their loved ones. That is why we made a propriety system to allow as many or as few disbursed family members be involved in or be notified of the process of while finding the “Right Caregiver” and managing the care going forward. Part of this care process is the development of a Plan-of-Care, again being the only company to integrate that functionality into our care management system.
No other on-line company connects healthcare providers to individuals in the home through an automated messaging system. Many adults and children with compromised health will need the person caring for them to be trained first hand by professionals, and we help facilitate that as well. Emergent care or hospital stays will be reduced without improved communication and professional healthcare transition between healthcare providers and those in their home.
How is Keep Safe Care Direct different from private duty agencies?
We help families in six different ways: First, Keep Safe Care Direct can save a family between $10,000 and $30,000 over using a private duty agency. We are passionate about making in-home care accessible and affordable for those who would never consider having a caregiver primarily due to cost.
Secondly, the two biggest issues with private duty care are no-shows (truancy) and turnover (different caregivers from day to day or week to week). Since we are more than just a matching company we are all about helping families find the perfect caregiver that is reliable, dependable, qualified and consistent; and teaching Careseekers (and their love ones) how to manage their own care affordably. We eliminate truancy and turnover with your caregiver by first allowing Careseeker to pick the most compatible Caregivers, and then secondly, by allowing a higher hourly rate. In conjunction, these two features insure Caregivers show up, and continue to offer wonderful care.
Third, with our proprietary tools we can involve ALL family members, as no matter where they are located, in the management and notifications of your care. In addition, this system also allows your health care service provides (such as your primary care physician, pharmacist, cardiologist, etc.) to be informed during transitions between medical facilities and the home.
Fourth, and maybe the most important, when you create an account and hire a Caregiver, you will get an individual to help assist you with the process of finding and hiring the perfect caregiver as well as give you advice to healthcare resources in your area.
Fifth, since your caregiver is your employee he or she can be trained to do tasks (such a medication management, changing dressings, giving supplements, cleaning catheters, etc.) any family member can do that is under the supervision of a home health nurse. By State law, private duty caregivers are forbidden to do such tasks.
Finally, it is all about reducing stress not only for the person receiving care but all the family members involved deciding on what care should be given: from the hiring, interviewing, scheduling, payroll, messaging, screening and managing of caregivers, to taking care of all the little “back office details” that having your own employee involves.
What is Home Care?
Home care represents a wide range of private and community-based services that support an aging relative so they can live independently and safely in their own home. Home care is often used when recuperating from an acute situation, such as a hip fracture, or for persons with on-going chronic conditions, such as stroke, long-term weakness or just aging. The skills and duties of a person performing the duties vary. You may want a companion, a Certified Nurse Assistant or just a driver. With Keep Safe Care Direct, the choice is yours.
What is Transitional Care?
Transitional care is the coordination and continuity of health care during movement from one healthcare setting to either another or to home. Sometime called care transition between health care practitioners and settings as your condition and care needs change during the course of a chronic or acute illness. Older adults who suffer from a variety of health conditions often need health care services in different settings to meet their many needs. By transitioning care between the communities, Keep Safe Care Direct helps reduce the stress by improving communication and training amongst families and healthcare providers.
Can I hire a Nurse through your system?
Yes. Keep Safe Care Direct has nurses listed on our site that can help a family develop a geriatric care plan, provide care, or provide care oversight. You can hire a nurse by clicking on “Types of Caregivers needed.” Choose and click on either “Geriatric Care Manager” (care plan and oversight) or “Registered Nurse” or “Licensed Vocational/Practical Nurse.” You can hire an RN or LVN/LPN (Licensed Vocational/Practical Nurse) to provide skilled nursing care, or personal/companion care. Expect to pay no less than $35/hr if you want an RN to provide your personal care. If you need a nurse to provide skilled nursing care, please contact your Nurse Care-Pair Manager for assistance.
Are there special accommodations for Veterans?
Yes! You can specify that you want to be exclusively matched with a veteran. Contact our help line for information concerning “Aid and Attendance Pension Benefits” VA application. We want to assist you with the proper contacts and procedures to administrate this properly. If a mistake is made your VA benefits may be delayed.
Does Keep Safe Care Direct work with children?
Yes! Of course we do. If a child needs in home care, we can provide a Caregiver. We are not a nanny service though.
What is Home Health?
Skilled Home Health is provided by Home Health Agencies as an alternative to hospital stays, frequent MD visits or Nursing Home Placement. Skilled home health services would include wound care, IV’s, Post-surgical regimes, training with Meds, Treatments, etc. Skilled Home Health is paid for by Medicare, Insurance Companies and Privately.
What is Hospice?
Hospice Services are designed to assist a patient and family through the end of life and 13 months following. Hospice with palliative services involves keeping one comfortable, medications, equipment and counseling. Please ask your NCPM about it. Do not miss out on this supportive service if your loved one is approaching their life’s end. With hospice care, you can still keep your Caregiver.
Is your website secure?
Yes, you will notice the ‘https:’ designator on the address line of our site. This indicates what we are using a Secure Socket Layer 7 protocol that encrypts and protects any and all transmission and storage or personal data on our site. Our vendor is ICDSoft. For more information about SSL please visit www.icdsoft.com/en/ssl.
What are your fees?
Signing up for Keep Safe Care Direct as a Careseeker or Caregiver is Free! We only charge a small add on fee for hours worked and invoiced payments. For more information about charges and fees please sign up as a Careseeker or Caregiver and look at the FAQs in those sections.
Do you sell my information?
No, we do not sell your information ever!! Keep Safe Care Direct will contact you on behalf of our partners, but your information is never sold or given to any 3rd party unless you instruct us to. See also the Privacy Section of this web site once you create your profile.
Do you take money from any of your partners?
No, we do not take nor make any money from our partners. We do negotiate the best prices we can on your behalf, and then ask our partners to pass on the discounted prices to our members: YOU.
Do you have a list of definitions and terminology?
Yes, there is a complete list of terminology and definitions here.
What if I do not speak English as a primarily language?
That is not a problem. We understand that many of our Careseeker and Caregivers do not speak English as their primary language, or at all. That is why as part of our matching algorithm, we include 40 languages as either primary or secondary in addition to English. So, for example, if your primary language is German, we will do our best to match you with someone whose primary or secondary language is German.