Understanding Private Home Care in Alberta

Alberta’s population is the second-youngest in Canada, but it’s no exception to the national trend: Albertans are aging, adding pressure to the region’s care system. Private home care agencies are increasingly in demand.

126,860 Albertans receive home care services from Alberta Health Services, according to their most recent data. But for many, the waiting lists are too long, the caregiving staff are too rushed and the requirements are too high. Accessing public home care is particularly challenging for Alberta’s Indigenous and rural communities.

Private in-home care agencies fill an essential gap. As you start your home care agency, you’ll find that there is a high demand for your services. Your biggest challenge is unlikely to be marketing.

The Current State of Home Care in Alberta

The most recent Alberta Seniors Home Care Client Experience Survey, conducted by the Health Quality Council of Alberta, found that home care services play a vital role in helping Albertans to continue living safely and independently at home. But, the report also highlights several issues around staffing, communication and care quality.

Many respondents felt that their needs were going unmet, especially when it came to bathing, grocery assistance, housekeeping, grounds keeping and therapies.

Only 42% were “very happy” with the number of different care staff supporting them, with many saying that frequent caregiver changes made it hard to explain their needs. And roughly one in five clients said that they didn’t know who their case manager was.

Nearly half of the respondents stated that their care provider didn’t give them choices about how their care was provided, with a quarter reporting that their professional home care staff didn’t listen carefully to their wishes and needs.

Furthermore, a large proportion of respondents “expressed a high level of frustration and uncertainty with scheduling,” with frequent comments citing changes to service times and poor communication.

While home care has a life-changing impact on elderly Albertans and Albertans with disability, it’s clear that private home care agencies across the province are struggling to recruit and retain sufficient staff. And as a result, home care becomes more impersonal, inconvenient and ineffective for recipients.

As you start your private home care business in Alberta, caregiver recruitment and management should be a major strategic focus area. We’ll explore how you can build your caregiver team in more detail later on in this article.

Creating Your Albertan Private Home Care Business’ Legal and Financial Structure

Before you can begin offering private home care services, you need to register your business and create its financial structure. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Choose Your Private Home Care Business Structure

In Alberta, you can operate as a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership or cooperative. Most private home care businesses will operate as either a corporation or a sole proprietor. 

Don’t rush this decision: your agency’s business structure will dictate your personal liability, tax rates, launch costs and administrative burden. It’s worth seeking specialist advice from a lawyer or accountant.

2. Register with the Alberta Corporate Registry

Download the forms to register your Alberta-based business here. After submitting them, you’ll receive your common business number.

3. Apply for Permits and Licences 

Check BizPaL to discover the permits and licences you’ll need. 

4. Register with WCB Atlanta 

Home care providers need to register with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta within 15 days of hiring their first worker. The Government of Alberta’s website also contains detailed information on employment standards in the province. 

5. Register to Pay GST (if Applicable)

Small private home care agencies don’t need to charge GST. However, once your business meets a specific threshold, you’ll need to begin collecting it and submit a remittance form to the Government of Alberta by the 20th of the following month.

6. Consider Applying for an Alberta Health Services Contract

Although you operate as a private in-home care agency, you may also be able to provide public home care services. Roughly one-third of Alberta Health Services’ patients receive care from a contracted provider, i.e. a private agency like yours. 

If interested, you’ll need to wait for Alberta Health Services to publish a Home Care Request for Expression of Interest & Qualification (RFEOIQ) and then apply.

Building Your Home Care Team

“Staffing shortages are reaching a crisis point,” says a summary report of the 2023 Community Care Innovation Forum hosted by Alberta Health.

We’ve already looked at some of the biggest issues Alberta’s home care providers are struggling with. Almost all of them come down to recruitment challenges.

As you start your private home care business, you may be wary of recruiting too many caregivers too quickly. A large monthly payroll can hinder your business’ growth and cause cash flow problems. 

On the other hand, without enough caregivers, you’ll be unable to sign on new clients. To manage this situation, make sure you have a system in place for quickly recruiting and onboarding new caregivers. This will enable you to only hire the staff you need, when you need them.

Flexible schedules are a major draw for caregivers, but clients also want reliable care services from the same caregiver at the same time each week. Use ShiftCare’s scheduler to help you build shifts around caregivers’ availability. 

Your clients will also be able to check their scheduled services and make requests on ShiftCare Connect, giving them greater control over their care services.

Professional Help and Resources

Alberta Continuing Care Association (ACCA)

The ACCA advocates for continuing care and home care providers, as well as running events and publishing resources.

Biz Connect

This government program provides business coaching, financing and training for Albertan businesses. It also has extensive information about support for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Our guide to launching a home care business in Canada also shares the details of several nationwide professional resources. 

How do I start a private home care business in Alberta?

Starting a private home care business in Alberta requires creating a business plan, registering your business, recruiting staff and marketing your services.

Who pays for home care in Alberta?

Albertans can receive publicly funded home care services through AHS Home Care. Many people, however, choose to pay for private home care services, either instead of or alongside AHS Home Care services.

Final Thoughts on Starting Your Private Home Care Business in Alberta

Launching a private home care business presents plenty of challenges, from staffing and scheduling to client communications. But when you succeed, you improve the quality of life of older Albertans and Albertans with disabilities. You enable your clients to continue living comfortable, independent lives in their own homes.

ShiftCare’s home care software helps you with the admin side of running your business. You’ll be able to reduce the time you spend scheduling, invoicing and updating client documentation. And your caregivers will have the tools they need to deliver high-quality care.

Try ShiftCare for free.