Policies & Procedures

About these policies

These are the client care policies of DoveLiving, the in-home assistance and care brand of The Dove Circle^™. Every DoveLiving office, whether operated by DoveLiving Assistance Services LLC or by a licensed DoveLiving office, follows them, and every caregiver signs them. They are written for clients and families in plain English; the operating procedures behind them live in DoveNest^™, where each team member’s acknowledgement is recorded.

DoveLiving is nonmedical home care. We help people live well at home; we do not diagnose, prescribe or give medical treatment, and we work alongside a client’s doctors and nurses, never in place of them. Each office operates under the home care rules of its state, including licensure where the state requires it, and where a state rule is stricter than a policy here, the state rule applies.

A franchise is offered only through a Franchise Disclosure Document in states where registration or filing requirements have been met.

Assessment and care plan

PolicyCare begins with a visit to the home, a written care plan agreed with the client, and a signed Client Service Agreement. No caregiver is scheduled before all three are in place.

Procedure

• The first call is answered by a real person, day or night. We take the basics, explain how DoveLiving works and offer a home visit, which is free and carries no obligation.
• A care coordinator visits the home, usually within 48 hours of the request, and meets the client and the people who help make decisions. The visit covers daily routines, mobility, nutrition, memory and mood, the home’s safety, medications the client manages, the people to call, and what matters most to the client.
• The coordinator writes the care plan: the tasks for each visit, the schedule, the caregiver qualities the client wants, dietary and cultural preferences, emergency contacts and the plan for a missed visit. The client or their representative reviews and signs it, and keeps a copy.
• Care tasks stay within nonmedical limits. Where a need is medical, we say so and help the family contact the right clinician.
• The care plan is reviewed with the client every 90 days, after a hospital stay, after a fall or other incident, and whenever the client, the family or the caregiver asks. Changes are written and signed.
• The plan is held in DoveOS^™, the office’s system of record, and is visible to the caregivers assigned to that client and to the office team that supports them.

Caregiver matching

PolicyClients are matched to caregivers on skills, credentials, availability, continuity and personality, and the family meets the caregiver before care begins.

Procedure

• DoveOnDeck^™, our matching system, considers only caregivers whose credentials are current and whose training covers the tasks in the care plan.
• It ranks candidates and shows the coordinator the reasons for each suggestion, together with anything still to verify. A coordinator makes the final choice and records a different choice with the reason.
• The client is introduced to the caregiver before the first visit, in person or by video call. A client may decline any caregiver without giving a reason.
• We keep the same caregiver, or the same small team, for as long as we can. A change for the caregiver’s reasons is told to the client in advance wherever possible.
• A client may ask for a different caregiver at any time. We offer a replacement within 2 business days and record the request as feedback, never as a mark against the caregiver.

Scheduling, changes and cancellations

PolicyVisits are scheduled in advance, confirmed in writing and changed only with notice from either side.

Procedure

• The schedule is agreed in the care plan and shared with the client, the family contacts the client names and the caregiver, through the app or on paper as the client prefers.
• Clients may change or cancel a visit with 24 hours’ notice at no charge. With less notice, the Client Service Agreement states what is billed; we waive the charge for a hospital admission, a death in the family or an emergency.
• If a caregiver will be more than 15 minutes late, the office tells the client before the visit start time and gives a new arrival time.
• If a caregiver cannot attend, the office finds cover under the coverage policy and tells the client who is coming. The client may decline cover from an unfamiliar caregiver, and the visit is then credited.
• Minimum visit lengths, holiday scheduling and overnight or live-in arrangements are set out in the Client Service Agreement.

Visit verification and care notes

PolicyEvery visit is recorded at its start and end, and every visit has a care note.

Procedure

• Caregivers record the start and end of each visit in The Dove Circle app, which captures the time and the location at those two moments only. Where a phone cannot be used, the client’s landline or a paper record with the client’s initials is used instead.
• The care note records the tasks completed, anything declined, how the client was, and anything the family or office needs to know. Notes are written in the secured care record, never in texts or personal email.
• Families who are named in the care plan can see visit times and the care note through the app or a weekly summary, as the client chooses.
• The office reviews visit records daily. A visit that did not start on time triggers a call to the caregiver and, if needed, the coverage process within minutes.
• Invoices are built from verified visits. A client is never billed for a visit that did not happen.

After-hours support

PolicyA real person answers the DoveLiving line 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Procedure

• Outside office hours, calls and texts are answered through DoveOnCall^™, our after-hours service. The person who answers has the client’s care plan, schedule and contacts in front of them.
• Every call is logged: who called, when, why and what was done. The office reviews the log each morning and follows up on anything open.
• Urgent matters, including a caregiver who has not arrived, a client who cannot be reached, a fall or a safety concern, are escalated at once to the on-call coordinator and, where needed, to the Dove Branch Director.
• Non-urgent matters, such as a schedule request, are confirmed back to the caller by the next business morning.
• The after-hours line is not an emergency service. If someone is hurt, unwell or in danger, call 911 first and then call us.

Emergencies and coverage

PolicyIn an emergency, the client’s safety comes first. When a visit is at risk, the search for cover starts the same minute.

Procedure

• Caregivers are trained to call 911 for any medical emergency, stay with the client, follow dispatcher instructions and notify the office and the named family contacts as soon as it is safe to do so.
• Each care plan carries an emergency section: contacts, the hospital of choice, allergies the client has told us about, and where the client keeps advance-directive documents. Caregivers do not make medical decisions.
• When a caregiver calls out or does not arrive, DoveRescue^™, our coverage system, offers the visit to the client’s own eligible caregivers first, then, only where the office’s rules and the client’s plan allow, to participating partner offices and approved staffing providers. Every covering caregiver meets the same screening and training standards.
• The client is told who is coming and when. If the client prefers no visit rather than an unfamiliar caregiver, the visit is cancelled and credited.
• During severe weather, outages or other events that affect a whole area, the office works through its emergency plan: clients who live alone or depend on care for safety are contacted first, and the plan is kept in the safety library every team member has read.
• Payment emergencies are different from staffing ones. Where a client can no longer afford the hours they need, the office explains the Care Circle, through which community sponsors can help pay for care, and helps the family apply.

Medication assistance

PolicyCaregivers help clients take the medications their clinicians have prescribed, within the limits of nonmedical care and the rules of the state.

Procedure

• Caregivers remind clients when a medication is due, bring the labelled container or pre-filled organiser to the client, open it where the client cannot, and record in the care note that the reminder was given and whether the client took it.
• Caregivers do not decide doses, do not give injections, do not fill organisers unless the state and the care plan allow it, do not give medication to a client who cannot direct their own care unless the state allows and the plan says so, and do not give any medication that is not labelled for that client.
• A refused medication, a missed dose or a medication error is reported to the office the same day and to the family contact named in the care plan; the office tells the client’s clinician where the plan requires it.
• Changes to a client’s medications are made only by the client’s clinicians. Caregivers do not take verbal instructions from third parties about medication.
• Where a state has stricter rules than this policy, the state’s rules govern, and DoveNest records that each caregiver has been trained on them.

Infection prevention

PolicyCaregivers follow standard precautions on every visit, and nobody who is unwell comes to work.

Procedure

• Hand hygiene before and after care tasks, before food preparation and after contact with body fluids, using soap and water or alcohol-based rub.
• Gloves for personal care and any contact with body fluids; masks, gowns and eye protection where the care plan or the office requires them; safe handling and disposal of soiled items and sharps the client uses.
• Caregivers with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, a new cough or any other infectious illness do not attend visits. They report to the office, which arranges cover, and return only when well.
• Where a client has an infectious illness, the office updates the care plan with the precautions required and tells the caregiver before the visit.
• Caregivers complete infection-prevention training at hire and each year, and follow public-health guidance that the office issues during an outbreak.

Safeguarding and abuse reporting

PolicyEvery team member is a mandatory reporter. Suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect of a client is reported to the authorities and to the office the same day.

Procedure

• Abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, neglect by a caregiver or anyone else, and self-neglect. Caregivers are trained to recognise signs and to listen when a client speaks.
• A caregiver who suspects abuse reports to the state’s Adult Protective Services (or Child Protective Services for a client under 18) and, where someone is in immediate danger, to 911, and then to the office. The office never discourages a report and never requires its permission first.
• The office cooperates fully with investigators and keeps the client safe while the matter is examined, including removing a caregiver from the home where the concern involves that caregiver.
• Caregivers may not accept gifts of money, may not be named in a client’s will or financial documents, may not borrow from or lend to a client, and may not have access to a client’s bank cards or passwords. Shopping for a client follows a receipted process set out in the care plan.
• Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith is prohibited.

Complaints and grievances

PolicyAnyone may raise a concern about DoveLiving at any time, without fear of any effect on their care, and every concern receives a written answer.

Procedure

• Raise a concern with the caregiver, the care coordinator, the office or the after-hours line, in whatever way is easiest: a call, a text, an email to Home@Doveliving.co, or a conversation.
• We acknowledge every concern within one business day, and a safety concern immediately.
• The coordinator investigates and gives a written answer within 5 business days, or an update and a date if more time is needed.
• If the answer does not resolve it, the client may ask for a formal grievance review by the Dove Branch Director, who was not involved in the original matter. The Director answers in writing within 10 business days of the request.
• Clients may at any time also contact the agency in their state that oversees home care, the state long-term-care ombudsman and Adult Protective Services. The office gives those contact details in the Client Service Agreement and on request.
• Every complaint and its outcome is recorded, reviewed monthly for patterns and used to improve the service. The Service Commitment & Guarantee sets out when a visit is re-done or credited.

Equal access and non-discrimination

PolicyDoveLiving serves clients and employs caregivers without discrimination.

Procedure

• We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or familial status, veteran or military status, genetic information, source of payment or any other characteristic protected by law, in accepting clients, assigning caregivers or hiring staff.
• Clients may ask for a caregiver of a particular sex for personal care, and we honour that request wherever we can.
• We provide reasonable accommodation and language assistance, including interpreters and translated documents, so that clients and families can take part in planning their care.
• We accept a client only when we can meet the client’s needs safely with the caregivers we have. If we cannot, we say so promptly and help the family find a service that can.

Confidentiality

PolicyInformation about a client is seen only by the people who need it to deliver that client’s care, and is shared outside the care team only with consent or where the law requires.

Procedure

• Every team member signs a confidentiality agreement at hire and renews confidentiality training each year.
• Health information is consent-governed; designed to protect health information. Caregivers do not discuss a client with anyone outside the care team, including other clients, their own families or online.
• Caregivers do not photograph, record or post about a client, the client’s home or family unless a signed DoveSocial^™ release covers it (see stories and photographs).
• Visit notes and records are kept in the secured care record, with access logged. Paper records in a client’s home stay in the folder the office provides and are collected when care ends.
• A breach of confidentiality is an incident; it is reported, investigated and told to the client, and may end a caregiver’s employment.

Incident reporting

PolicyAny event that harmed, or could have harmed, a client or a caregiver is reported the same day, reviewed and acted on.

Procedure

• Incidents include falls, injuries, medication errors, missed or late visits, property damage, a client who could not be reached, a caregiver injury, a vehicle incident during DoveDrive^™ transport, a breach of confidentiality, and any allegation about conduct.
• The caregiver gives first aid or calls 911 as needed, makes the client safe, tells the office at once and completes an incident report before the end of the day.
• The office tells the family contact named in the care plan the same day, and the client’s clinician where the plan requires it.
• The coordinator and, for serious incidents, the Dove Branch Director review each report within 2 business days, record what was learned and change the care plan, the training or the procedure where the review shows it should change.
• Reports that the state requires are made within the state’s time limit. Incident records are kept with the client’s record and reviewed monthly for patterns.

Quality, training and oversight

PolicyThe quality of care is checked continuously, documented, and ready to be shown to any client, family member or regulator who asks.

Procedure

• A supervisor visits each new client within the first 2 weeks of care and at least every 90 days after that, and calls the client or family after the first visit and each month.
• Caregiver competence is observed in the home at least twice a year, and feedback is given in writing.
• DoveNest, our training and readiness system, holds every caregiver’s training record, certification dates, background-check outcome category and policy acknowledgements, and shows the office who is ready to be scheduled and what is missing. A caregiver with a lapsed credential is not offered visits until it is renewed.
• The office reviews complaints, incidents, missed visits, late arrivals and client feedback monthly, sets actions, and reviews them again the following month.
• Readiness for inspection is a standing state, not an event: policies, acknowledgements, training records, incident files and complaint files are maintained so that they can be produced the same day.

Caregiver standards and conduct

PolicyDoveLiving caregivers are employees of their office, screened, trained, insured and supervised, and they keep to a code of conduct in every home.

Procedure

• Caregivers are employed by the DoveLiving office, not engaged as independent contractors. The office carries workers’ compensation, general and professional liability insurance and a fidelity bond, and handles payroll taxes.
• Before the first visit, every caregiver has completed identity and work-authorisation checks, the background checks below, reference checks, a health screening as the state requires, orientation training covering every policy on this page, and the client-specific tasks in the care plan.
• Ongoing training through DoveNest is required each year, including infection prevention, safeguarding, dementia care, body mechanics and safe transfers, emergency procedures and confidentiality.
• In the home, caregivers arrive on time in DoveLiving identification, treat the client and the home with respect, follow the care plan, keep their phone for care use only, do not smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs on duty, do not bring visitors, and do not accept money or valuable gifts.
• Caregivers who drive clients meet the transportation standards. Caregivers do not perform tasks outside the care plan or the limits of nonmedical care, even when asked.
• Concerns about a caregiver’s conduct are investigated under the complaints and incident policies, and the caregiver is removed from the home while a serious concern is investigated.

Background checks

PolicyEvery caregiver and office team member is screened before working with clients and re-screened on a regular cycle.

Procedure

• Screening with written authorisation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act covers: a multi-state criminal records search, the national sex-offender registry, the state abuse and neglect registries where available, the federal exclusion list for health-care programmes, identity verification, employment and reference checks, and a driving record check for anyone who drives clients.
• Checks are run through a consumer-reporting agency. The agency’s report stays with the agency and with the hiring manager; DoveNest records only the date and the outcome category.
• A conviction for violence, abuse, theft, fraud or a sexual offence excludes a candidate. Other findings are assessed individually under the state’s rules, with the candidate given the chance to respond before any decision.
• Checks are repeated at least every 2 years, and the state registries are rechecked annually. A caregiver must report any arrest or charge to the office within 24 hours.
• Where a state requires fingerprint-based checks or a state registry check, those are completed before the first visit.

Transportation

PolicyClients are driven only when the care plan includes transport, by caregivers who are checked, insured and trained to drive them.

Procedure

• DoveDrive, our transportation branch, schedules rides and errands as journeys, stage by stage, with a driver qualified for each stage.
• Drivers hold a valid licence, pass a driving record check at hire and annually, carry personal auto insurance that the office verifies, and are covered by the office’s non-owned auto policy when driving for a client. Vehicles are checked for safety and cleanliness.
• Clients wear seatbelts; mobility aids are secured; drivers help clients in and out of the vehicle within their training and never lift beyond safe limits.
• DoveDrive does not provide medical transport. A client who needs medical monitoring in transit, a stretcher or oxygen that cannot travel safely in a car is referred to a medical transport service.
• Mileage is recorded on each journey and billed as the Client Service Agreement states. Any vehicle incident is reported under the incident policy.

Stories, photographs and social media

PolicyNo story, photograph, video or recording of a client, caregiver or family is published anywhere without a signed release, which is checked every time before publication.

Procedure

• DoveSocial, our governed communication branch, holds every release and checks consent, release and permission before a single word or picture is shared, and keeps checking until the moment it posts.
• A release names what may be shared, where, and for how long. A client or representative may limit it in any way and may withdraw it at any time; we stop future use within 10 business days.
• Caregivers do not take photographs or videos of clients on personal devices and do not post about their work, their clients or clients’ homes on personal social media.
• Stories for The DOVE News^™, the monthly publication of The Dove Circle, follow the same release.
• Health information is never published. Where a story mentions a condition, it is because the client chose to say so in the release.

Records and your right to see them

PolicyClients own the facts of their own care. Records are accurate, complete, secure, and available to the client.

Procedure

• The client record holds the assessment, care plan, Client Service Agreement, consents and releases, visit records and care notes, incident and complaint files, invoices and correspondence.
• Clients and their authorised representatives may review the record, request corrections and receive a copy within 10 business days of asking, free of charge for the first copy each year.
• Records are kept for 7 years after care ends, or longer where the state or a payer requires, and then destroyed securely.
• Records are released to others only with the client’s written authorisation, to payers as the client’s plan requires, or where the law requires. Every release is logged.
• When care ends, the office gives the client or family a summary of care and arranges the return of any paper records from the home.

Client rights and responsibilities

Every DoveLiving client has the right to: be treated with dignity and respect; take part in planning their care and refuse any task or caregiver; know the name and role of everyone who comes to the home; receive care without discrimination; have their information kept confidential; see their record; be told about costs before care begins and about any change in advance; raise a concern without any effect on their care; and end the service at any time with the notice stated in the Client Service Agreement.

We ask clients and families to: tell us about changes in health, needs or schedule; keep the home reasonably safe for caregivers; treat caregivers with respect; keep medications labelled and in one place; give the notice the agreement states for changes; and pay invoices on time.

These rights are given to every client in writing at the start of care and are posted in every DoveLiving office.

Questions and contact

Questions about any policy, requests for a copy of an operating procedure, and concerns about care go to your DoveLiving office or to the addresses below.

• DoveLivingHome@Doveliving.co
  Care, caregivers, policies and grievances
• The Dove Circlehello@thedovecircle.com
  Website, store, publication and app

Related pages: Service Commitment & Guarantee · Terms of Use · Privacy Notice.

Related pages: Service Commitment & Guarantee · Terms of Use · Privacy Notice.