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TL;DR: Choosing a home care agency in New Braunfels comes down to one thing: the quality of the caregivers they send into your home. The industry’s average caregiver turnover rate is around 75%, meaning most agencies are constantly cycling through new staff. The questions in this guide will help you find an agency that hires well, trains thoroughly, and shows up consistently.
Most home care agencies will tell you they provide quality care. They’ll use similar language, offer similar services, and charge comparable rates. So how do you tell them apart and find high-quality care?
The answer usually comes down to one thing: the people they send into your home. If you’re searching for what to look for in a home care agency in New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo, or Universal City, here’s what matters and what to ask before you commit.
High caregiver turnover means your loved one meets a new face every few months, rather than building a consistent relationship with someone who knows their routines, preferences, and needs. For older adults with dementia or Parkinson’s disease, that inconsistency isn’t just inconvenient; it actively works against good care.
According to the 2025 Activated Insights Benchmarking Report, the industry-wide caregiver turnover rate sits at around 75%. Three out of four caregivers leave their agency within a year. For families, that translates to a revolving door of unfamiliar faces, interrupted routines, and care that never quite builds momentum.
When you ask an agency about turnover—and you should—pay close attention to what they say. Vagueness is its own answer.
In Texas, every Personal Assistance Services agency holds a license from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. That license confirms an agency meets basic state standards. It’s a good first checkpoint, and any agency without one should be disqualified immediately.
Beyond licensing, though, agencies are regulated the same way. The services they provide are defined by state law. Licensing tells you an agency clears the bar; it doesn’t tell you how far above it they operate. The difference between a good agency and a great one comes down to the person who shows up at your door.
Think of the first conversation with an agency as an interview, because that’s exactly what it is. A quality agency will welcome your questions and answer them directly. If they’re evasive or vague, that tells you something important.
This is the most important question on the list. Ask what percentage of applicants get hired, what the screening process involves, and what would disqualify someone. A strong agency runs thorough background checks covering criminal history, the HHS Caregiver Misconduct Registry, drug screening, and employment history.
Ask about initial training, ongoing continuing education, and whether caregivers receive specialty training for conditions like dementia or Parkinson’s disease. Agencies that invest in training produce better outcomes and retain caregivers longer.
Tenure is a proxy for culture. If caregivers are happy and matched thoughtfully to clients, they stick around. Long average tenure means the person coming to your home has handled difficult situations and knows their job well.
Ask how the agency handles last-minute absences, who you call, and whether someone is available after hours. A good agency has a clear backup plan and an on-call contact available 24 hours a day.
Ask whether supervisors make in-home visits, whether caregivers submit visit notes, and how families can flag concerns. There should be accountability beyond the caregivers themselves.
At ComForCare New Braunfels, we built our agency on a simple belief: the caregiver is the real product. Everything else is logistics.
ComForCare New Braunfels accepts fewer than 2% of caregiver applicants. Every candidate goes through the DEAR assessment, which evaluates four things that can’t be trained into someone: drugs, ethics, attitude, and reliability. A background check alone won’t tell you if someone has the patience to care for your parent on a hard day. The DEAR assessment is designed to get closer to that answer.
Our caregivers have an average tenure of more than 10 years, and our turnover rate runs at roughly half the industry average. That’s the result of hiring slowly, hiring well, and treating caregivers like the professionals they are.
For most families, working with a licensed agency offers meaningfully more protection than hiring privately, even when the hourly cost looks higher. When you hire a private caregiver, you become the employer, which means you’re responsible for background checks, payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, and finding backup coverage when that person is unavailable.
An agency handles all of that. If your caregiver calls in sick, a backup comes. If something goes wrong, the agency carries liability insurance. For families managing care from a distance or dealing with a family member who has complex needs, that infrastructure matters.
Use this printable in-home care agency checklist as a starting point for your conversations. A quality agency should be able to answer yes to every item here.
| Category | What to Confirm | Confirmed |
| Licensing & Insurance | Licensed by Texas HHSC; carries liability insurance and workers’ comp | ◻ |
| Hiring Standards | Screens for criminal history, drug use, and employment background | ◻ |
| Caregiver Training | Initial training plus annual continuing education requirements | ◻ |
| Specialty Care | Trained in dementia and/or Parkinson’s care if relevant to your loved one | ◻ |
| Backup Coverage | Has an on-call contact and a clear plan for last-minute absences | ◻ |
| Scheduling Flexibility | No rigid weekly minimums; can adjust as needs change | ◻ |
| Payment Options | Accepts long-term care insurance, veterans’ benefits, or other applicable assistance programs (see note below) | ◻ |
| Care Oversight | Supervisors conduct in-home visits and caregivers submit visit notes | ◻ |
On the payment front, it’s worth asking specifically what programs an agency is credentialed with. ComForCare New Braunfels accepts veterans’ benefits and long-term care insurance, and is a credentialed GUIDE program provider.
GUIDE is a Medicare-funded initiative that allows qualifying dementia clients to receive up to $2,500 in annual respite care at no cost. Most families don’t know that program exists, and not every agency is authorized to provide it.
Home health care services are medical care ordered by a physician and covered by Medicare, delivered by skilled nurses or therapists. In-home care is non-medical. It covers daily living assistance like bathing, dressing, meal prep, light housekeeping, and companionship. Most families searching for ongoing daily support need in-home care, not home health care.
Ask whether the agency conducts in-home assessments before placing a caregiver. At ComForCare New Braunfels, our owners Andrea and Chad personally conduct every intake assessment, which helps ensure the match is right from the start. Factors like personality, communication style, and scheduling compatibility all play a role in a successful placement.
Many families overestimate or underestimate when they first call. A good agency will help you think through your care plan realistically: does your loved one need someone during the day while a spouse is at work, overnight support, or help a few times a week? ComForCare New Braunfels has no weekly minimum requirement, so you can start with the level of care that feels right and adjust needs change.
Home care is one of those decisions where the stakes are high and the options all look similar on the surface. The right questions cut through that. An agency that hires fewer than 2% of applicants, trains caregivers in dementia and Parkinson’s care, and maintains a turnover rate half the industry average isn’t doing the same job as everyone else. They’re doing it differently, and your loved one will feel that difference every single visit.
ComForCare New Braunfels serves families throughout New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo, Universal City, and the surrounding communities. Call us at 1-830-632-5887 or visit our website to schedule a free in-home consultation.
Each office is independently owned and operated and is an equal opportunity employer.
© 2026 ComForCare Franchise Systems, LLC.