For consumers
Orienting your attendant
Missouri requires you, as the employer, to orient your caregiver on eight specific topics before they start. It sounds formal. In practice it is one honest conversation, and this is the checklist to have it with.
The eight topics
What to cover
Take them in any order, in one sitting or across the first week. What matters is that you both leave the conversation knowing the same things.
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01
The tasks in the plan of care
Walk through what the state authorized, task by task, so your attendant knows what they are paid to do and what falls outside it. Ambiguity here is what causes trouble later.
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02
How you like things done
The part no state form can write for you. Morning routine, how you prefer to be helped up, which cupboard the good mugs live in, whether you want conversation or quiet. Say it out loud once.
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03
Recording time honestly
Clock in when the shift starts, out when it ends, never in advance and never after the fact. Explain that you approve the hours each week, so mistakes surface fast.
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04
Confidentiality
Your health, your household and your finances stay in your home. That includes social media: no photos of you, your home or your paperwork.
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05
Recognising and reporting abuse or neglect
Missouri requires this conversation. Cover the hotline number, that reporting is a duty and not a betrayal, and that nobody is punished for raising a concern in good faith.
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06
Emergencies and who to call
Fire, fall, medical emergency, no answer at the door. Write the order of calls down and put the list somewhere both of you can find it in a hurry.
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07
Infection control and safe handling
Handwashing, gloves, safe lifting and transferring, keeping walkways clear. Basic, and the reason most avoidable injuries do not happen.
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08
What to do when it is not working
You are the employer, so you set the standard and you can end the arrangement. Agree now how you will raise a problem, and tell your attendant they can raise one too.
Practical notes
Doing it well
If your attendant is your daughter or your neighbor, this can feel absurdly formal. Do it anyway.
The families who skip it are the ones who end up arguing in month three about whether laundry was ever part of the deal. Twenty minutes now settles it.
Your attendant also completes the Attendant Orientation online, which covers the program rules from their side. Your orientation covers your home and your preferences, which nobody else can teach.
We prepare you for this conversation during enrollment, and you can call us mid-conversation if something comes up you are not sure about.
Ask us: 417-218-2888