Client service terms

1. About these terms

These terms apply to care provided by Bayfern Home Care Inc. Before care starts, you will sign a service agreement and receive a written care plan. If these terms and your signed agreement differ, your signed agreement applies.

2. Scope of services

Bayfern provides non-medical home support by personal support workers and home support workers, as described on our what a PSW can do page. We do not provide nursing, medical diagnosis or treatment. Tasks that need a nurse are not part of our services, and some tasks may be performed only after a nurse has taught them for a specific client and the task has been confirmed in writing in the care plan.

Our caregivers are not responsible for making medical decisions. They will follow the care plan, call 911 in an emergency, and report changes to the family and care team.

3. Assessment and care plan

Every client starts with a free care visit. The care plan is based on the information you give us, so please tell us about health conditions, medications, behaviours, allergies, mobility, pets and anything else that affects safety. We are not responsible for problems that result from information that is incomplete or inaccurate. Please tell us promptly about any change, including hospital stays.

4. Accepting new clients

We aim to take on care that other agencies decline. Every new client is still subject to a safety assessment and to caregiver availability. If we cannot provide care safely, we will tell you why and help you look for alternatives. We may require two caregivers, specific equipment or a behaviour support plan before certain care can begin.

5. Scheduling and caregivers

• We aim for consistent caregivers, but we cannot guarantee a specific caregiver for every visit. We will tell you about changes as early as we can.
• Arrival times can vary because of weather, traffic and earlier visits. We will call if a caregiver will be more than 30 minutes late.
• In severe weather or unsafe road conditions, we may reschedule or shorten visits, putting the most urgent care first.
• You may ask for a different caregiver at any time and do not have to give a reason.

6. Cancellations

Please give at least 24 hours notice to cancel or change a visit. Visits cancelled with less notice, or where the caregiver arrives and cannot provide care, may be charged in full. We do not charge when a visit is cancelled because the client is admitted to hospital, or because of an emergency.

7. Rates and payment

• Rates are listed in your service agreement. Holiday, overnight and short-notice rates may differ.
• Invoices are due within 15 days. We accept e-transfer, cheque and credit card.
• We will give at least 30 days written notice of any rate change.
• We may pause new visits on accounts that are more than 30 days overdue, after giving notice and making sure the client is safe.
• Prices include HST where it applies.

8. Funding programs and insurance

Funding programs and insurers decide eligibility, approved hours and coverage, not Bayfern. We will help you with paperwork, but we cannot guarantee approval or payment. You are responsible for any amount a program or insurer does not pay, including services provided before an approval is in place or beyond the approved hours.

9. A safe home environment

Our caregivers have the right to a safe workplace, and the client's home becomes that workplace. We ask clients and families to:

• keep pets secured during visits if asked;
• not smoke or vape in the room where care is being given;
• keep any firearms unloaded and locked away;
• keep walkways, steps and driveways clear of snow and ice;
• provide the equipment and supplies listed in the care plan, such as gloves, lifts or bath chairs;
• treat caregivers with respect. Abuse, harassment or discrimination toward staff is not tolerated.

A caregiver may leave a visit, and we may pause care, if the caregiver's safety is at risk.

10. Caregiver boundaries

To protect clients and staff, our caregivers may not:

• accept money, gifts of more than token value, loans or property from clients or families;
• sign or witness legal documents such as wills or powers of attorney, or act as a substitute decision-maker;
• use a client's bank cards, PINs or online banking, except to carry out a specific, documented errand with receipts returned;
• bring other people, including their children, to a client's home;
• share a client's information with anyone outside the care team;
• perform tasks outside the care plan, including nursing tasks.

Please tell us if a caregiver asks for any of these things.

11. Transportation

Rides are given in a caregiver's own vehicle, which must carry valid insurance, or in the client's vehicle where the client's insurer permits it. Mileage may be charged as set out in your service agreement. Caregivers will not transport clients who cannot safely get in and out of a regular vehicle; in those cases we will help arrange accessible transportation.

12. Keys and home access

If we hold a key, lockbox code or door code, it is recorded, kept securely and used only for scheduled visits. We are not responsible for losses caused by codes shared by others. Please change codes when a caregiver leaves our team, and we will remind you.

13. Hiring our caregivers directly

We invest in recruiting, screening and training every caregiver. Clients and families agree not to hire a Bayfern caregiver directly, or through another agency, while receiving our services and for 12 months afterward, without our written agreement. A placement fee, set out in your service agreement, may apply.

14. Pausing or ending service

• You can pause or end service at any time with 7 days notice, without penalty.
• We may end service with the same notice, or immediately if continuing would put the client or a caregiver at serious risk, if there is abuse or harassment of staff, or if invoices remain unpaid after notice.
• Before ending service we will make reasonable efforts to make sure the client is safe and to help with a transition to other care.

15. Liability

We are not responsible for loss or damage caused by information that was not shared with us, by equipment we do not supply, by care or decisions made by other providers, or by events outside our reasonable control. Please keep cash, jewellery and valuables in a secure place. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under New Brunswick law.

16. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of New Brunswick and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. The English and French versions of these terms are equally valid. If your signed service agreement says something different, the service agreement applies.