The people who will actually be in your home
A care plan is only as good as the person carrying it out. These are the checks every Help Now caregiver passes before a first shift, the roles we can send, and how we try to keep the same faces coming back.
Before anyone starts work
Every person we send is screened before their first shift, accountable to us, and covered by our insurance.
Background checks
A police vulnerable sector check is completed and reviewed before a caregiver is assigned to any client.
Credentials verified
Where a role is regulated, we confirm current registration with the relevant Ontario college directly — not from a photocopy.
Health and immunization
Immunization records and health screening are on file and kept current, as required for the settings we work in.
References checked
We speak to previous employers. A good CV is not the same as a good caregiver, and we would rather find out early.
Training and orientation
Site-specific orientation before a first shift, plus ongoing training including AODA, WHMIS, worker health and safety, and workplace violence and harassment.
Insured and covered
Our caregivers are covered by WSIB and by our liability insurance, and are paid through our payroll with deductions made properly.
Who we can send
The right person for the job is not always the most qualified person available. We match the role to what is actually needed.
- Personal Support Workers (PSWs) — bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, meals, light housekeeping and companionship
- Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) — medication administration, wound care, catheter and ostomy care, monitoring
- Registered Nurses (RNs) — complex and unstable clients, assessments, IV therapy, palliative symptom management
- Nurse Practitioners — assessment, diagnosis and prescribing within scope
- Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists — mobility, falls prevention, home safety and equipment
- Speech-Language Pathologists — communication and swallowing after stroke or with progressive conditions
- Registered Dietitians — nutrition for diabetes, renal disease, dysphagia and unintended weight loss
- Respiratory Therapists — oxygen, CPAP and BiPAP, tracheostomy support
- Social Workers — counselling, family conflict, navigating the system and planning ahead
- Companions and homemakers — conversation, outings, errands and keeping a household running
Continuity matters more than anything
A new face every visit is exhausting for a client and unsafe for anyone with dementia. It also means somebody has to explain the whole routine again, every time.
So we build a small team around each client and keep it as stable as we can. When someone is away, the person covering has been briefed on the care plan and, wherever possible, has met the client before.
If a match is not working, tell us. Changing a caregiver is a normal request, not a complaint, and we would far rather know.
How the matching works
We look at the clinical need first, then the practical fit: language spoken at home, whether a client would prefer a man or a woman, comfort with pets, smoking, driving, and the hours you actually need covered.
Thinking of joining us instead?
We hire PSWs, RPNs, RNs and allied health professionals across Canada. You would be our employee, with WSIB, payroll deductions handled, paid in-services and shifts that fit around your life.
Further reading
Longer pieces on the questions families and managers ask us most.