There’s no place like home. It’s more than just a familiar saying—it’s a profound truth that becomes increasingly important as we age. For seniors and
You find a caregiver on Care.com who seems perfect. She’s warm, experienced, and willing to work for $24/hour — significantly less than agencies charge $37-45/hour.
Your mom calls at 3 a.m. She was getting up to use the bathroom, caught her foot on the rug, and went down hard. She’s
You’re exhausted. Not just tired — bone-deep, soul-crushing exhausted. You can’t remember the last time you slept through the night. Your back aches from lifting.
Your mom needs help at home. You post on Nextdoor or Craigslist and find someone willing to work for $24/hour cash — $13-21/hour, less than
Visiting aging parents after months apart can be eye-opening—and not always in the way you expect. You walk through the front door, anticipating the warm,
Every November, we pause to celebrate the people who make it possible for millions of Americans to receive care where they want to be most:
Eric is the CEO of All Heart Home Care, a local home care agency. He is the writer for All Heart Home Care’s blog page. He leads an award-winning home care agency by senioradvisor.com 5 years in a row. (2017 – 2021), as one of the top home care agencies in San Diego, CA
Yes. HITRUST CSF Certified security—same gold standard hospitals use. More secure than paper.
Extremely rare (99.9% uptime), but caregivers can work in offline mode if connectivity is temporarily lost. Care continues without interruption. Documentation syncs automatically when connection returns.
Caregivers document throughout their shift in real-time. Notes are typically finalized and visible in Family Room within minutes of the caregiver clocking out.
We can set up Family Room accounts for as many family members as you want—local siblings, children in other states, anyone you authorize. Everyone sees the same information. No limit on number of accounts.
Yes. Family Room includes secure document storage. Upload medical records, insurance cards, POLST forms, medication lists, doctor’s instructions, photos—anything important. All authorized family members can access these documents. No more searching for forms.
We update the digital care plan immediately, and all caregivers receive instant notification of changes. This is one of the biggest advantages over paper—updates reach everyone simultaneously, not gradually over days or weeks.
Absolutely. Family Room is a tool for families who want it, not a replacement for human connection. We’re always reachable by phone at (619) 736-4677. Many families use both—portal for quick updates, phone calls for detailed conversations.
We train every caregiver on the WellSky mobile app before their first shift. The app is intuitive—designed specifically for caregivers, not engineers. If someone can text and use GPS navigation, they can use our caregiver app. And we provide ongoing support.
Yes. The Family Room care calendar shows upcoming shifts with caregiver names and times. You’ll know exactly who’s coming and when. No more surprise caregiver switches.
Use the two-way messaging feature in Family Room. Send your message, and the caregiver receives an instant notification on their mobile app. They’ll see it and can respond or confirm receipt immediately.
Yes. All notes are searchable. Want to see every mention of “appetite” from the past month? Type it in the search bar and find all relevant notes instantly. No more flipping through pages of handwritten entries.
You can access the complete care history from the day Family Room access began. Review notes from last week, last month, or since care started. Historical data helps identify patterns over time.
Family members cannot delete caregiver documentation—that’s protected and maintained by All Heart for record-keeping purposes. You can delete your own uploaded documents, but we can often recover those if needed within a certain timeframe.
With your authorization, we can provide limited Family Room access to healthcare providers. This allows better coordination between home care and medical teams. You control exactly who has access and what they can see.
Family Room works both ways. You can access it through any web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) on your computer, or download the mobile app for easier access on your phone or tablet. Your choice.
All authorized Family Room users see the same care information—we can’t create different access levels for different family members. However, you (as the primary contact) control who gets Family Room access in the first place. If family dynamics are challenging, you decide who receives login credentials.
The messaging system shows when messages are delivered and read. You’ll see confirmation that the caregiver received and opened your message. For critical information, you can also call our office to ensure the message was received.
Yes. You can print individual shift notes, date ranges, or specific types of documentation (like Change of Condition reports) directly from Family Room. Useful for doctor appointments or insurance purposes.
If your loved one transitions to hospice, hospital, or another care setting, we can maintain your Family Room access for a transition period so you have complete records. After care ends, we provide a final data export if requested, then access is closed according to your wishes and legal requirements.
Yes. Family Room is accessible from anywhere with internet connection. If you’re traveling abroad, you can still check on your loved one’s care. The system works globally.
Family Room doesn’t support selective information sharing—all authorized users see the same care documentation. For private family communications, you’d need to use personal email, phone, or text outside the Family Room system.
Change of Condition reports automatically alert you when caregivers document significant health changes. For custom alerts (like specific behaviors or situations), talk to our office—we may be able to add special flags to your loved one’s care plan that trigger notifications.
We typically set up Family Room access during your initial care planning meeting, before the first caregiver shift. You’ll have login credentials and a brief tutorial on how to use the portal. Most families are viewing their first shift notes within 24 hours of care beginning.
HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework) is the most rigorous security certification in healthcare. It's harder to achieve than HIPAA compliance alone. This certification requires:
Why it matters: If it’s secure enough for hospital patient records, it’s secure enough for your loved one’s care information.
Data in Storage (At Rest):
Data in Transmission (In Transit):
What this means: Even if someone intercepted the data (extremely unlikely), they would only see scrambled, unreadable information.
Who Can See What
Family Member Access:
Caregiver Access:
Staff Access:
Audit Trail:
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes federal standards for protecting health information. Our compliance includes:
Privacy Rule Compliance:
Security Rule Compliance:
Breach Notification:
Business Associate Agreements:
Automated Backups:
Redundancy:
Disaster Recovery Plan:
What this guarantees: Your loved one’s care information is never truly lost. Even if an entire data center were destroyed, complete backups exist elsewhere.
What “99.9% uptime” means:
Monitoring:
If the system goes down:
For families who want extra security, we can enable multi-factor authentication (MFA):
Caregiver Phones:
Your Devices:
In the extremely unlikely event of a security concern:
Who can read it?
Anyone who enters the home
Only authorized users
Can it be lost?
✔︎ — permanently
✕ — backed up continuously
Can it be damaged?
✔︎ — spills, fires, floods
✕ — stored digitally
Is access tracked?
✕
✔︎ Access logged & audited
Encryption protection?
✕
✔︎ — bank-level encryption
Updates reach everyone?
✕ — printing/distribution delays
✔︎ — instant notification
Survives disasters?
✕
✔︎ — redundant backups
HIPAA compliant?
✕ — difficult to prove
✔︎ — certified & audited
Can be accidentally discarded?
✔︎
✕ — requires a password
Verdict: Digital is significantly more secure than paper in every measurable way.
Secure password reset process via email or phone verification. We verify your identity before resetting access.
Multiple layers of security make unauthorized access extremely difficult. Regular penetration testing simulates attacks to identify and fix vulnerabilities before hackers can exploit them.
Change your password immediately from any other device. The thief would still need your password to access Family Room.
No. Payment processing is handled by a separate, PCI-compliant payment processor. We never see or store your full credit card number.
Your data is retained according to legal requirements (typically 7 years for healthcare records), then securely deleted. You can request a copy of your data at any time.
This isn’t just secure—it’s among the most secure systems available in healthcare.
Your information is safer in our digital system than it ever was in a paper binder sitting on a kitchen counter.
This comprehensive information ensures every caregiver provides consistent, personalized care from day one.
Tracking health changes that matter.
The Change of Condition form documents significant shifts in your loved one’s health—new symptoms, changes in mobility, behavioral differences, or improvements in their condition. This isn’t about minor day-to-day variations; it’s about meaningful changes that physicians, families, and caregivers need to know about.
Why have a separate form for this?
Instead of searching through weeks of caregiver narratives to find when symptoms started or conditions changed, this form puts all significant health changes in one easy-to-reference place. When doctors ask “when did the difficulty walking begin?” or family members want to understand the progression of a condition, you’ll have clear, dated documentation right at your fingertips.
What gets documented:
Each entry includes:
Why this form matters:
Early detection changes outcomes. When caregivers notice something different—increased confusion, difficulty walking, loss of appetite, or even positive improvements like better mobility—documenting it immediately allows for faster responses.
Your family stays informed about meaningful health changes. Physicians receive accurate updates during appointments instead of relying on memory. Incoming caregivers know exactly what’s changed and what new precautions or assistance your loved one needs.
One form. Complete health timeline. Better care.
Whether tracking a temporary change after a fall or documenting the progression of a chronic condition, the Change of Condition form creates a clear health timeline. This helps everyone—doctors, family members, and our San Diego caregiver team—understand how your loved one’s needs are evolving and respond appropriately.
Proactive monitoring isn’t just good practice. It’s essential senior care.
How the Caregiver Narrative works.
Each caregiver documents their shift using a simple timeline format that captures the essential details of your loved one’s day. This structured approach ensures consistency across all caregivers and makes information easy to find.
What we document in every narrative:
Narrative Format:
Each entry follows this structure:
Why this format works:
This timeline approach provides clear, chronological documentation that’s easy for incoming caregivers to read and understand. Instead of wondering what happened during the previous shift, they can see exactly what your loved one ate, how they felt, what activities they enjoyed, and any health changes observed.
One record. Every shift. Complete continuity.
Whether care is short-term, long-term, or evolving, the Caregiver Narrative ensures nothing gets missed and nothing gets repeated. Your family can review the journal at any time during visits, or we can share photos of recent narratives with long-distance family members who want to stay connected and informed.
Complete transparency and peace of mind, right when you need it.
The All Heart Customized Care Plan is completed during your initial assessment and tailored to your loved one’s specific needs, preferences, mobility level, and safety requirements.
Now fully digital and accessible on every caregiver’s phone.
We’ve gone paperless. Your care plan is accessible through our digital platform—caregivers reference it anytime, anywhere. Updates happen in real-time, so when something changes, every caregiver sees it immediately.
Care goals, emergency contacts, medical conditions, mental health & cognitive status, medications & supplements, mobility & transfers, personal care routines, meal prep & dietary needs, daily routines, activities & engagement, and home environment details.
One plan. Every caregiver. Consistent care.
This digital approach ensures every San Diego caregiver has the same accurate, up-to-date information from day one—promoting safety, continuity, and person-centered care.
See how we organize care information. This form becomes your loved one’s digital care roadmap.
