o Be Empathetic and Understanding – The person calling you could be the potential client themselves or could be a family member. Regardless, understand that the person you're speaking with may be under a great deal of stress. Display empathy, patience, and understanding, taking the time to listen to their concerns and needs.

o Ask the Right Questions - Ask about the person's condition, what kind of assistance they need, their preferred schedule, and any special considerations like allergies or mobility issues. This will not only show that you're interested in providing personalized care but also help you understand how to meet their needs.

o Communicate Expertise - Explain your expertise and experience in providing home care for dementia clients. Discuss any specialized training your caregivers have undergone, the types of services you provide (like help with medication, meals, hygiene, etc.), and how you tailor your services to each individual's needs.

o Share Success Stories - Without breaking any privacy policies, share success stories of how your service has helped other dementia clients. This helps to build trust and show potential clients the positive impact your service can have.

o Address Safety and Trust - Assure the client about the safety measures you take, such as background checks for caregivers, supervision protocols, and insurance. Also, mention any accreditations or licenses your service has.

o Discuss the Costs - Be transparent about your pricing structure. Explain what's included in the cost, any additional fees, and payment methods and schedules. Also let them know that you can discuss the specific costs in person with them through a personalized in-home assessment where a care plan will be built that is tailored to the client’s needs.

o Build Rapport – In any assessment, building a rapport with both the client and their family helps to show empathy, patience, and understanding. It also helps to create a level of comfort required when talking about having a caregiver in the home with a client with dementia or cognitive challenges.

o Gather Comprehensive Information - Collect as much information as possible about the client's condition, needs, and lifestyle. Understand the client's daily routines, medical history, cognitive status, physical abilities, safety issues, and social and emotional needs. This will allow you to create a personalized care plan and share that care plan with the client and/or family, helping them to feel more comfortable overall.

o Communicate Your Expertise - Discuss your experience and expertise in providing care for dementia patients. Not every agency will have the level of training and skill in caring for dementia or cognitive impairments with clients and it’s important that they understand you are better than the generic home care agency. Discuss any specialized training your caregivers have and how their skills will benefit the client.

o Tailored Care Plan - Based on the assessment, develop a care plan that meets the specific needs of the client. Show the family how this plan will improve the client's quality of life and safety at home. One of the main goals for clients and/or their family members is to have the client stay at home for as long as possible – a personalized care plan provides a level of comfort that this is possible.

o Address Concerns - Be prepared to address common objections or concerns, such as cost, quality of care, and changes in routine. Be open, transparent, and provide reassurance where needed. We will discuss common objections in more detail in the next section.

o Provide Resources - Provide the client and their family with additional resources about dementia and home care. This could include educational materials, support group information, or other community resources. Use the professional referrals you’ve made in your marketing efforts to reciprocate recommendations. Not only will this help your client but it will also help to grow your relationship with the professional referral.

o Show Compassion and Understanding - Recognize the emotional toll dementia can take on a patient and their family. Validate these feelings to both the client and the family members. Show compassion and understanding, and reassure them that your goal is to improve the client's quality of life.

o Follow-Up - After the assessment, provide a detailed report of your findings and the proposed care plan. Ideally, you are getting the client and/or family members to agree to care on the spot. Communicate what they can expect in regards to next steps when that happens. If they do not agree to care right away, schedule a follow-up call to answer any further questions and discuss the next steps.

1. Cost - In-home care services can be costly, especially when round-the-clock care is needed. Many families may be concerned about how they will afford these services. Talk to the client about what care is absolutely needed, what financial resources they may be able to take advantage of or how you can work with the family to split the duties of care (i.e. the family members take care of certain days of the week and you provide care on the other days to give the family members a break). Often, the alternative is to look at a care facility/retirement home, which allows for 24/7 oversight, but can still use your services for additional companionship so the person with dementia does receive one to one support.

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2. Strangers in the Home - The idea of having strangers (caregivers) in the home can be uncomfortable for both the dementia client and their family. They may have concerns about safety, privacy, and the ability of the caregiver to understand and respect the home's dynamics. Let them know how you will ensure the client is comfortable with the caregiver coming into their home (i.e. that you will be there to introduce them) and the precautions that are put in place from a safety and liability perspective.

3. Loss of Independence - Clients often fear that accepting help means losing their independence. This can be particularly difficult for individuals who have always been very self-sufficient. If a client is in the early stages of dementia, communicate with them that your caregivers are coming in just to help take care of things they don’t want to have to do anymore (not because they aren’t capable of doing it). This helps them to feel like their independence is not necessarily being taken away but they are able to spend their time doing other things. For clients with more advanced dementia, talk about how you and your caregivers will engage the client to do things for themselves that they are still able to do, by giving them direction and support.

4. Denial or Lack of Awareness - Sometimes, dementia clients may not realize they need help, or they may be in denial about the severity of their condition. Family members, too, may underestimate how much assistance the client needs. Work with the family to reframe the care to the client if they are in denial.

5. Quality of Care - Families may worry about the quality of care provided by an in-home caregiver, particularly if the caregiver is not specialized in dementia care. Explain the level of training a caregiver receives to the family and the client, specifically noting the skill development and training around dementia care so they can feel more comfortable that the caregivers will be more skilled than a generic home agency.

6. Inconsistency of Caregivers - Some families worry about having multiple caregivers coming in and out, which can be confusing or upsetting for a dementia patient. They prefer a consistent presence who can build a relationship with the patient. Talk to the family about how you are going to minimize this as much as possible by having a few key caregivers responsible for the care. This way there are back-ups in case one caregiver is sick or cannot take on a shift but there are not an endless number of new faces entering the home with the client.

7. Interference with Family Roles - Some family members may feel that it's their duty to care for their loved ones and may resist the idea of bringing in outside help. They might also worry about being seen as "abandoning" their responsibilities. Help the family members understand that by having caregivers coming into the home to take care of their loved one, it will allow them to go back to being a “daughter” or “son” and not have to take on the role of caregiver.