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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions about our services, benefits programs, and other common topics. If you don’t find what you are looking for on this FAQ page, feel free to contact us at 972-684-5630.

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Faq'S 1
Download a copy of the FAQs
Glossary of Elder Care Related Terms

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General Overview

Call us, and we will move quickly to set up a new service with you. Required onboarding paperwork is available on this website, under the tab entitled “Onboarding Documents.” However, you must get a password from your community liaison in order to access the documents, which are password protected. Cambridge must have these documents completed and in hand before we can schedule services.

Yes, we will spend time with you to understand your situation and specific care needs, so that we can best meet those needs and match the right caregiver for your engagement.

Once onboarding documents are submitted, our scheduling manager customizes the engagement using the client information. We match care plans, logistics, and personalities to the best of our ability. After this process is complete and the schedule is agreed upon, the engagement can commence.

Typically, a Community Liaison will visit with the family via phone and then schedule a time to meet in person. Over the years, we have learned that meeting a caregiver before an engagement does not offer meaningful insight for the client. While we go to great lengths to match caregivers to our clients’ specific needs, should  there be an issue with a particular caregiver, we can pivot and switch out caregivers. We have 200+ caregivers and are confident we have the right caregiver for you!

We generally require at least 24 hours to get a new client properly set up in our system. This allows the scheduling team adequate time to put their matchmaking skills to work.

We use various means such as lockboxes or spare keys to allow our caregivers access to the client’s home when the client is unable to answer the door. If a client has 24/7 care, the caregiver on duty will answer the door when the caregiver for the next shift arrives.

This is up to the client. If the caregivers drive the client’s car, there is no additional charge for gas or mileage. If the caregiver uses their own car, we charge the current standard IRS mileage rate.

At Cambridge Caregivers, a member of our team is available to you 24/7/365. Our Community Liaisons maintain contact with our clients and their families throughout the engagement. They work with the scheduling department to match clients with the appropriate caregiver and to oversee all assignments. They will be in touch with you throughout the duration of service, and you are encouraged to call them on their mobile numbers in the event that you need assistance or have any questions.   In addition, we have a quality control manager who oversees all clients and caregivers.

If you wish to make scheduling changes, we encourage you to contact a member of our scheduling team directly at 214-715-6700. While you may check with your caregiver regarding availability, we ask that you do not try to make scheduling changes with the caregivers directly, as they do not have access to our scheduling and billing software and due to logistical considerations are not in control of their own schedules.

About Our Staff

We have Caregivers, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and RNs on staff. In addition to the many hours of training they receive before taking their certification exams, they also receive ongoing training and specialized training from our Director of Nursing. Through our responsive training institute, Manchester Living Institute, we offer continuing education for all caregivers.

Many companies utilize contractors rather than employees to fill caregiving assignments. Frequently, they find people with little or no previous experience in caregiving. All of our caregivers are W2 employees trained by our Director of Nursing, and most have hundreds if not thousands of hours of experience in the field. We offer a full array of benefits, including health insurance, dental and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, PTO, and gas stipends. Our commitment to our caregivers results in unparalleled employee retention and allows Cambridge to staff an engagement when many other companies cannot. We take excellent care of our caregivers so they can take excellent care of you.

Each caregiver goes through a criminal background check, employee misconduct check, Nurse Aide Registry Check, reference check and a thorough, two-part interview process with our Operations and Scheduling Manager as part of the hiring process, as well as annual criminal background checks thereafter. Also, each new hire must complete company orientation and training as well as annual state mandated employment verification. Training is also provided for caregivers who will require specialized skills for an assignment.

Most problems can be corrected with direct communication regarding the issues involved, as well as interventional training when necessary. In those cases where a caregiver is just not a good match, we will simply go back to the drawing board and find a better match. With more than 200 caregivers on staff, we are confident that we can find the perfect match for every client.

Costs

The cost of service is based on several factors including condition of the patient and level of care required, location of assignment and any special skills required by caregivers, among other considerations.

The minimum daily requirement is six consecutive hours, and there is no minimum weekly or monthly requirement.

The contract you sign with us simply obligates you to pay for the number of hours a caregiver is with you.  It does not commit you to engage Cambridge for a stated term.

Service can be cancelled or paused at any time by notifying either scheduling or the Community Liaison assigned to your case. However, when service is cancelled or paused less than 24 hours before onset of a shift, the client will be charged for the entirety of that shift.

No, but we do accept Long Term Care Insurance.

Yes, you can use your long term care policy for our services. Cambridge is happy to assist with any necessary paperwork, and we will submit invoices and care notes directly to the insurer if directed by the client. As beneficiary of the policy, the client is paid directly by the insurer and is responsible to Cambridge for all costs incurred with service, regardless of whether there is complete or only partial reimbursement by the insurer. It’s important to note that many long term care providers require a waiting or “elimination” period before the insurer will pay for coverage. We are happy to review your long-term care policy and advise you as to benefits and limitations, or you can call your insurer directly for an explanation of benefits.

By law, caregivers must be paid overtime (1.5x their base pay rate) if they work more than 40 hours/week and when they work on certain holidays. We strive to limit overtime by engaging several caregivers on an engagement, but it is sometimes unavoidable. For engagements where the client wants to avoid accruing overtime charges, there will be several additional caregivers assigned to their case, and there may therefore not be the same degree of continuity of care available with a smaller staff.

While tips and gifts are neither required nor expected, caregivers are permitted to receive appropriate gifts/tips for holidays, special occasions, or at the end of an engagement.

Invoices are generated every other Friday and are sent electronically to the person designated on the onboarding document. Cambridge utilizes the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system to charge our client’s checking account. We will accept a check provided we have a credit card on file as a place holder. Any credit card charge is subject to a 3% fee.

No. The clock starts when the caregiver clocks in (on our internal GPS system).  The GPS system will not allow a caregiver to clock in unless they’re within 150 feet of the client’s location.

On this page… Click a question below to expand and read more information.

General Overview

Call us, and we will move quickly to set up a new service with you. Required onboarding paperwork is available on this website, under the tab entitled “Onboarding Documents.”

Yes, we will spend time with you to understand your situation and to consider the right caregiver for your engagement.

Once onboarding documents are submitted, our scheduling manager works to customize the engagement using the information submitted by the client. We match care plans, logistics, and personalities to the best of our ability with specific caregivers from our staff. After this process is complete and the schedule is agreed upon, the engagement can commence.

Typically, a Community Outreach Liaison will visit the family via phone and then schedule a time to meet in person. Under the current circumstances, we are using technology such as Zoom, FaceTime, or phone to get to know each other. Our focus is on the safety of our staff and clients by minimizing contact. Regarding a meeting with a caregiver, we have learned that a meeting before an engagement does not offer meaningful insight for the client; while we have confidence in all our staff, we appreciate that sometimes we may have to send out a different caregiver after the engagement begins. Should there be issues such as the caregiver wearing too much perfume, talking too loud, or sitting in your favorite antique chair, feel free to communicate freely. If it’s something you want management to address just let us know. If there we need to pivot and switch out caregivers, no problem. We have 100+ caregivers, and we have the right caregiver for you!

Typically, we like to have at least 24 hours to get the family properly set up in the system and give our scheduling team adequate time to put their matchmaking skills to work. However, if necessary (and presuming the client’s paperwork is on file), we can often get a caregiver placed within just a few hours.

There will be a notebook with care plan notes, contact information, and a pad for caregivers to take daily notes. These can be helpful for family, medical staff, and long-term care insurance.

We have used various tactics and tools to enter a home where the client cannot answer the door, including lockbox, spare key, garage door opener, hidden key, or garage combination.

This is up to the client. If the caregivers drives the client’s car, there is no additional charge. If the caregiver uses their own car, we charge a standard IRS mileage rate (currently $0.57/mile).

Our client outreach team maintains contact with our clients and their families during the entire engagement. They are committed to see that you are always satisfied. They will work with our scheduling department as necessary or may connect you directly with our scheduling department if needs are variable. Our team is available to you 24/7/365 so that you are never left hanging.

About Our Staff

Most of our caregivers are Certified Nurse’s Assistants (CNA’s), meaning they received comprehensive instruction and passed a state competency exam. In addition to the many hours of training they receive before taking their CNA exam, our staff receives training from our director of nursing and many hours of hands-on experience. In addition, all of our caregivers must pass thorough criminal background checks and are subject to random drug testing.

Many companies utilize contractors rather than employees to fill caregiving assignments. They run an ad or send a text looking for people in the general public to act as caregivers and pay those people an agreed-upon hourly fee. Frequently, these people have little or no previous experience with the company and may or may not have any experience caregiving. The company will either pay the individual directly or ask the client to write one check to the caregiving company and one check directly to the caregiver. All of our caregivers are full-time W-2 employees trained by our director of nursing and often have hundreds if not thousands of hours of experience with our company. We offer them a full array of health benefits, and we pay 80% of their health care premiums. Fully-employed W2 employees are more committed and loyal to their employers and thus more committed to their clients.

Each caregiver goes through a national background check, drug screening, thorough interview with our HR director and Scheduling Manager, and their references are checked. Also, each caregiver must pass an internal written test and complete company orientation and training.

We know our individual staff, and we use this knowledge, coupled with the information provided by our clients in their onboarding documents, to make the best possible matches between our staff and our clients. That said, the choice of caregiver is extremely personal, and personality matches are sometimes complicated. If a match doesn’t work, we will work to make it right. If the issue can be easily corrected with direct communication (i.e., the caregiver is wearing too much perfume, talks to loud or sits in your favorite antiques chair), we encourage our clients to inform us or the caregiver directly so that change can be made. If there is a personality conflict or we can’t redirect a staff person for whatever reason, we will simply substitute another one of our caregivers. We will work with the client until the optimal care team is in place.

Costs

The minimum daily requirement is four hours, and there is no minimum weekly or monthly requirement.

You are NOT committed to engaging us for any specific amount of time. The document you sign simply requires you to pay for any hours of service received.

Long-term care policies generally cover non-medical care services such as ours, while Medicare and general health insurance policies do not. While Cambridge is happy to assist with any necessary paperwork, including care notes, we cannot by law file directly with the insurer. The policy owner is required to pay Cambridge directly and then file with the insurer for reimbursement. It’s important to note that many long-term care providers require a waiting or “elimination” period before coverage kicks in. We are happy to review your long-term care policy and advise you as to benefits and limitations, or you can call your insurer directly and ask for an explanation of benefits.

By law, caregivers must be paid overtime (1.5x their base pay rate) if they work more than 40 hours/week. We strive to limit overtime by engaging several caregivers on an engagement so that overtime charges are not incurred. However, when a client insists on limiting caregivers or extending hours such that overtime is necessary, the client is responsible for additional charges of time and a half for each hour of overtime, as required by federal law.

We compensate our staff very generously, and we pay 80% of their health premiums. Clients are by no means obligated to tip our staff and we do allow gifts/tips for holidays, special occasions, or at the end of an engagement.

Invoices are generated every two weeks and sent electronically to the correct person on file who pays the bills. We use the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system to charge our client’s checking account.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about our services, benefits programs, and other common topics. If you don’t find what you are looking for on this FAQ page, feel free to contact us directly.

Download a copy
Glossary of Elder Care Related Terms

Click a topic to jump to that section

Faq'S 2

Faq'S 3

Headquarters

12770 Coit Rd Suite 1020
Dallas, TX 75251

[email protected]

PAS and Home Health License #016438

Cambridge Dallas: (972) 684-5630

Cambridge Ft. Worth: (817) 591-7770

Who We Are

Cambridge Caregivers is a personal care provider which assists individuals and families with their in-home non-medical care needs. Carefully selected, fully screened, and vaccinated caregivers are all W-2 employees with extensive training in a variety of in-home care needs, including:

  • Caregiver Services
  • Assisted Living
  • Nursing Care
  • Pre-Op/Post-Op Care
  • Dementia Care

Learn more

Areas We Serve

We currently serve the greater Dallas area and surrounding communities, including:

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