For many older adults, remaining independent at home also means having a reliable way to get to the places that are part of everyday life. This freedom can be cherished.
That need is particularly relevant in Connecticut, where more than 20% of residents are age 65 or older. As Connecticut’s population ages and more people seek to remain in their homes, transportation can become an important part of the support provided by caregivers and home care agencies.
A caregiver might transport someone to:
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A doctor’s appointment
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Physical therapy
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The grocery store or pharmacy
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Religious services
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A hair appointment
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A family gathering
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A community or social activity
For families, having a trusted caregiver provide transportation can make life considerably easier. For a home health care agency, transportation can be an important extension of the services it provides.
But it also raises questions that both families and agencies may want to consider before the caregiver gets behind the wheel.
When Transportation Is Part of Care
There is a difference between hiring someone specifically to provide transportation (non-emergency transport) and having a caregiver transport someone as part of a broader caregiving relationship.
Consider a caregiver taking a client to a doctor’s appointment.
The caregiver might help the client prepare to leave the house, accompany them to the vehicle, manage a walker or other mobility device, drive to the appointment, accompany the client inside, wait during the visit and then return the client safely home.
Transportation is only one part of that interaction.
For a home care agency, understanding exactly what caregivers do when transporting clients is important when evaluating procedures, training and insurance.
For families, it’s equally important to understand how transportation will work and whose vehicle will be used.
Whose Vehicle Is the Caregiver Driving?
This may be one of the most important questions to ask.
A caregiver might:
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Drive a vehicle owned by the home care agency
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Use the caregiver’s personal vehicle
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Drive a vehicle belonging to the person receiving care
Each situation raises different questions worth considering.
If the Caregiver Drives the Client’s Car
It can seem like a simple solution.
Perhaps Mom no longer drives, but her car is still sitting in the driveway. Having her caregiver drive that vehicle to appointments, shopping or other activities may seem practical and convenient.
But before simply handing over the keys, there are questions worth asking.
Has the family discussed the arrangement with their automobile insurance professional? Does the insurance company need to know that someone outside the household may regularly operate the vehicle? Are there any conditions or limitations in the policy that should be understood?
The home care agency may have questions to consider as well. If caregivers are permitted to drive vehicles belonging to clients, does the agency have written guidelines? Is there a process for confirming that insurance is in place? Has the agency discussed this type of transportation with its own insurance advisor?
These aren’t questions with one answer that applies to every situation. The important point is simply to ask before making assumptions about coverage.
If the Caregiver Uses Their Own Car
Another common arrangement is for a caregiver to transport a client using the caregiver’s personal vehicle.
Again, there are questions for both sides.
The home care agency may want procedures for reviewing driver eligibility, motor vehicle records and automobile insurance. It should also understand how its own insurance program addresses employees using personal vehicles while performing work for the agency.
Families may want to ask the home care agency about its transportation policies before a caregiver begins regularly transporting their family member.
If the Home Care Agency Provides the Vehicle
When an agency owns the vehicles used to transport clients, the questions change again.
Who is authorized to drive? How are drivers screened? How are vehicles maintained? What procedures are in place following an accident? How does the agency’s insurance program address client transportation?
The important takeaway isn’t that one arrangement is necessarily better than another.
It’s that who owns the vehicle and how it is being used matters.
Transportation May Involve More Than Driving
Not every transportation-related incident happens while a vehicle is moving.
Consider what happens before and after the ride.
A caregiver might be helping someone navigate a parking lot, handling a walker, carrying groceries or accompanying a client into a medical office.
What happens if the client falls?
What if the caregiver is injured?
What if there is a disagreement about the amount of assistance the caregiver was expected to provide?
These situations demonstrate why transportation provided as part of home care may involve considerations beyond automobile insurance.
Depending on how an agency operates, conversations with an insurance professional may include Commercial Auto, Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability, General Liability, Professional Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Umbrella and other coverages.
That doesn’t mean every home care agency needs every coverage listed. The appropriate insurance program depends on the individual agency, its services and its actual operations.
What Does the Caregiver Actually Do?
This may be one of the most useful questions a home care agency can ask itself.
There can be a significant difference between a caregiver who provides companionship and transportation and one who assists with mobility, personal care or other activities of daily living.
Those differences may also be important to an insurance company evaluating the business.
For families, understanding the caregiver’s responsibilities helps establish expectations before transportation begins.
For agencies, clearly understanding and communicating what employees actually do helps an insurance professional evaluate the operation more accurately.
Home Care Businesses Evolve
Home care agencies rarely remain exactly the same.
An agency may begin by providing companionship and homemaker services and later expand. It might hire additional caregivers, enter new territories, secure larger contracts or begin offering transportation that wasn’t part of its original services.
Growth isn’t measured only by revenue.
Changes in how a business operates may also change its risks and how an insurance company evaluates those risks.
An agency that didn’t transport clients when its insurance program was originally established but now regularly does so may have a very different operation today.
Keeping an insurance advisor informed about changes in services and operations provides an opportunity to review whether the agency’s insurance still reflects the business as it currently operates.
Good Planning Starts Before the Drive
Insurance is only one piece of the conversation.
Home care agencies may also want to consider policies and procedures addressing:
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Driver screening
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Motor vehicle record reviews
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Transportation guidelines
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Verification of automobile insurance where appropriate
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Vehicle safety
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Mobility devices
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Accident and incident reporting
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Employee training
Families can participate in that conversation too.
If transportation will be part of a loved one’s care, ask how it will work. Find out whose vehicle will be used. Ask the home care agency about its transportation practices. And if a caregiver will regularly drive a family-owned vehicle, consider discussing the arrangement with your own insurance professional.
The Goal Is Independence
Transportation can make an enormous difference in someone’s ability to remain independent.
It provides access to medical care, groceries, family, friends and the community. It can also give family members greater confidence that someone they care about isn’t isolated simply because they can no longer drive.
For home care agencies, transportation can be an important extension of the services they provide.
The purpose of raising these insurance and risk-management questions isn’t to suggest there is one correct way to provide transportation. Every family, agency and insurance policy is different.
The goal is much simpler:
Understand the arrangement, ask questions and avoid making assumptions before the transportation begins.
Insurance Considerations
This resource is intended to highlight issues and questions families and home care agencies may want to consider. Insurance coverage varies by policy, insurance carrier and individual circumstances. Speak with your insurance professional about your specific situation.
