If you're about to reach out to a home care agency and want to know what actually happens
What to Expect from a Free In-Home Care Assessment
PSSA-licensed · 250+ bonded caregivers · 9 funding pathways
A free in-home care assessment is a 60- to 90-minute visit by a nurse-supervised intake coordinator who comes to your home, talks with the family and the loved one needing care, walks through the home for safety, and writes a personalized care plan that says exactly what kind of help would actually fit. There's no charge, no obligation, and no pressure to sign anything during or after the visit.
Most families call a home care agency for the first time after months of weighing the decision. By the time you reach out, you've usually been doing the math, the worrying, and the late-night research — and the part that finally trips people up is not knowing what happens next. This guide walks through exactly that: what happens when you call or fill out the form, who comes to your home, what they ask, what you walk away with, and how to compare across agencies if you're talking to more than one.
Key takeaways
- An in-home care assessment is a free 60- to 90-minute visit by a nurse-supervised intake coordinator who writes a personalized care plan for your loved one.
- There's no commitment. You can decline at any point — before, during, or after the visit. Reputable agencies do not pressure-close.
- You walk away with a written care plan, a clear cost breakdown, and a recommendation on which funding pathways (TennCare CHOICES, OPTIONS, VA, LTC insurance, private pay) your loved one may qualify for.
- Most Tennessee families know within the first 30 minutes of the visit whether the agency feels like the right fit.
- If you're comparing two or three agencies, schedule them within the same week — your impressions stay sharp and the cost framing stays comparable.
What a free in-home care assessment is
An in-home care assessment is a structured first conversation between a home care agency and the family considering care. It happens in your home (or your loved one's home) so the agency can see the actual environment — the bathroom, the bedroom, the entryway, the kitchen — and write a care plan that fits the real situation rather than a hypothetical one. It's the standard intake step at every PSSA-licensed agency in Tennessee, and it's free at any reputable one.
The visit covers four things: understanding what your loved one needs day-to-day, walking through the home for safety risks, talking through which funding pathway will pay for care, and answering the family's questions. By the end, the agency should hand you a written care plan and a clear path forward — start, hold, decline, or compare with other agencies.
Why agencies offer free assessments
Free assessments aren't a sales tactic. They exist because home care doesn't fit a price-list model — what your loved one actually needs depends on the home, the family situation, the funding pathway, and a dozen other variables that no website form can capture. An agency that quotes you over the phone without seeing the home is either guessing or planning to revise the number at intake.
The visit is also the agency's qualification step. It tells the agency whether they can safely deliver the care, whether their staffing fits the need, and whether the family is a good fit for them. Reputable agencies routinely walk away from cases that don't fit their model — the assessment protects both sides.
Pressure to sign during or immediately after the assessment is a red flag. Reputable Tennessee home care agencies expect families to take 24-72 hours to think it over, and they expect to compete on the merits.
What happens when you reach out
The first contact is short. Whether you call the office or fill out the contact form, the conversation that follows is usually 10 to 15 minutes and covers four things:
- Who needs care, who's the decision-maker, and what's prompting the call right now (a hospitalization, a fall, dementia progression, caregiver burnout, or a planned transition).
- The basics of what's needed — hours per week, time of day, type of care (companion, personal, supervision), urgency.
- Funding situation — private pay, TennCare CHOICES, VA, LTC insurance, OPTIONS, or DIDD — and whether the agency is contracted with your specific MCO or insurance.
- Scheduling the in-home assessment — same week if needs are urgent, within a few days otherwise.
The intake person on the phone is not the salesperson — most Tennessee agencies use a nurse-supervised model, where the intake conversation is handled by a clinical or care-coordinator role. Their job is to triage the situation, confirm the agency can serve you, and schedule the visit. They are not measuring you.
The in-home visit — who, how long, what they ask
The visit usually runs 60 to 90 minutes. The intake coordinator (often an RN, LPN, or nurse-supervised care coordinator) comes to your home, sits down with the family, and walks through the situation in detail.
- Family conversation (20-30 min) — what's happening day-to-day, what the family is currently doing, where the cracks are, what would actually help. The coordinator listens more than they talk.
- Time with your loved one (15-20 min) — basic conversation to understand cognitive status, mobility, communication, and the loved one's own preferences. Some families prefer to do this together; others step out. There's no wrong answer.
- Home walk-through (10-15 min) — bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, entryways, stairs. The coordinator is looking for fall risk, accessibility issues, and things that change the care plan (e.g., a tub-only bathroom shifts how bathing assistance works).
- Funding and logistics (15-20 min) — which funding pathway fits, expected timing for authorization (if applicable), agency-specific scheduling and supervision, what continuity looks like.
- Q&A and next steps (10 min) — your questions, the written care plan, when you'll hear from them again.
The whole conversation is conversational, not clinical. There's no formal assessment battery, no exam, no paperwork your loved one has to fill out. The coordinator is building a picture, not running a test.
What you walk away with
By the end of the visit (or within 24-48 hours after, if the agency emails it), you should have:
- A written care plan — the specific tasks the caregiver will do, the schedule, the goals for the assignment, and how the plan adjusts as needs change.
- A clear cost framework — for private pay, an hourly rate or rate range based on the actual care level. For TennCare CHOICES, OPTIONS, VA, or LTC insurance, the path to authorization and your expected out-of-pocket cost (often zero).
- A funding recommendation — which pathway fits best, including options you may not have considered (e.g., Veterans' Aid and Attendance pension, OPTIONS sliding-scale, LTC insurance reimbursement).
- A start-date estimate — most private pay clients can begin within a few days; MCO/VA pathways typically take 1-4 weeks for authorization.
- Names — the supervisor on your case, the on-call number for after-hours, and the person to call if something goes wrong.
- A no-pressure path forward — the agency expects you to think it over and may follow up in a few days. They should not be insistent or call repeatedly.
If an agency tries to send you a contract or rate sheet before the in-home visit, that's a sign their model is volume-driven rather than fit-driven. Reputable agencies wait until they've seen the home.
After the assessment — your options
Once you have the care plan in hand, you have three normal options. None of them disappoint a reputable agency.
- Start care — schedule the first visit, sign the agreement, and the agency takes it from there. Most private pay starts within days; MCO/VA depends on authorization timing.
- Hold for now — keep the care plan, decline to start, and reach back out when you're ready. Agencies expect this and don't penalize a delayed start.
- Compare with another agency — most families do this. Schedule a second (and sometimes a third) in-home assessment with another agency, compare the care plans side by side, and pick on the total package, not just the rate.
If you're comparing agencies, schedule the assessments within the same week. Your impressions stay sharper, the cost framing stays comparable, and you avoid the trap of letting the first agency anchor your expectations of the second.
Common worries before the assessment
After running thousands of intake conversations, the same worries come up. Most of them aren't real concerns — but they're real friction, and they're worth naming so you can decide for yourself.
- "Will I have to sign something?" — No. Reputable agencies don't ask for signatures or commitments during the assessment. The care plan is yours to keep regardless of whether you proceed.
- "Will it feel like a sales call?" — It shouldn't. The intake coordinator's goal is fit, not closing. If it feels like pressure, that's the answer to whether this agency is right for you.
- "What if my parent doesn't want strangers in the house?" — Common. We typically suggest the family member meet the coordinator first, then introduce the conversation gradually. The visit can be quick if your loved one is uncomfortable.
- "What if my house isn't 'ready'?" — Don't tidy up for us. The coordinator needs to see the home as it is to write a care plan that works in it.
- "What if I can't afford the care?" — That's exactly what the assessment is for. The coordinator will walk through every funding pathway your loved one may qualify for, often including ones families don't realize apply to them (VA Aid and Attendance, OPTIONS, LTC insurance).
- "What if I just want to know more before I'm ready to act?" — That's a normal reason to schedule. Many of our long-term clients did the assessment 3-6 months before they actually started care.
Ready to talk about care?
Most West Tennessee families need a fifteen-minute conversation, not another article.
We'll come to you, walk through what your loved one actually needs, and explain every funding pathway you may qualify for — no commitment, no pressure.
Frequently asked
Do I have to pay for an in-home care assessment?
No. The in-home assessment is free at any reputable Tennessee home care agency, including Resource One. There's no charge for the visit, no charge for the written care plan, and no obligation to start care afterward. If an agency tries to charge for an initial assessment, that's a strong signal to look elsewhere.
Will I be pressured to sign anything during the visit?
Not at a reputable agency. The assessment is a fit conversation, not a sales close. The intake coordinator should give you the care plan, answer questions, and leave you to think it over. Most families take 24 to 72 hours to decide, and many compare with one or two other agencies. Pressure to sign during or immediately after the visit is a red flag worth walking away from.
Who comes to my home for the assessment?
At Resource One and most reputable Tennessee home care agencies, the assessment is conducted by an intake coordinator under nurse supervision (often an RN or LPN, sometimes a senior care coordinator). They are not a salesperson on commission. Their job is to understand the situation, write a care plan that fits, and explain your funding options.
How long does the assessment take?
Typically 60 to 90 minutes. The visit covers a family conversation, time with the loved one needing care, a brief home walk-through, a discussion of funding pathways, and Q&A. Some assessments run shorter (30-45 minutes) when the situation is straightforward; others run longer (up to 2 hours) when the family is comparing options or the funding situation is complex.
What should I have ready before the in-home assessment?
Helpful to have available: a list of current medications, recent hospital discharge papers (if applicable), the loved one's primary doctor's contact, any existing diagnoses (especially dementia, Parkinson's, or post-stroke), and which insurance or funding programs you think may apply. None of these are required — you can do the assessment without any paperwork — but having them on hand helps the coordinator finish the care plan in one visit instead of two.
Does my parent have to be present for the assessment?
Generally yes — the coordinator needs to spend time with the loved one needing care to understand cognitive status, mobility, and preferences. That said, the visit is conversational, not formal. If your parent has dementia or is uncomfortable with strangers, the family can meet the coordinator first, then introduce the conversation gradually. We can also do a shorter family-only conversation initially and follow up with the loved one later.
Can I do the assessment over the phone or video?
Most Tennessee home care agencies, including Resource One, require an in-home visit before starting care. Phone or video can work for an initial intake conversation, but the written care plan and accurate cost framework require seeing the home. We can be flexible on timing and on the visit format if mobility or distance is a real constraint.
What if I'm comparing multiple agencies?
Smart move — most families do. Schedule two or three assessments within the same week so your impressions stay sharp. Compare the care plans side by side, not just the rate quotes. The differences that matter are screening standard, supervision model, caregiver continuity, and how the agency handles call-outs. Reputable agencies expect to compete on the merits and won't be offended that you're talking to others.