72-Hour Caregiver Matching in Seattle

Our 72-hour matching process is a structured sequence that takes a family from the first inquiry to a confirmed caregiver introduction within three days. The steps below are the same for households in any city. Families browsing our Seattle care guide follow this same timeline.

The goal is simple: understand the person who needs help, find a compatible caregiver, and start care without a long wait. This page explains each stage so you know what we will ask, what we review, and when you can expect to meet someone.

What the 72-Hour Matching Process Is

The 72-hour matching process is a five-step intake, review, match, introduction, and start-of-care sequence completed within three days of your first contact. It is not a waitlist, and it is not a generic job board. We use the details you share to pair your household with a caregiver whose skills, schedule, and working style fit the situation.

Matching covers many kinds of in-home help, including companion care, personal care, and memory care at home. You do not need to know the service name before you reach out. We map the right type of help from the daily tasks you describe.

Step 1: Share Who Needs Care and Why

Step 1 is a focused conversation so we understand who needs help, what a typical day looks like, and when you want care to begin. We ask about living arrangements, preferred hours, language, pets, mobility, and whether the person is most comfortable with a familiar routine or more flexible company.

You can start this step after a hospital stay, during a caregiver gap, or when a family member can no longer manage alone. Bring notes on medications only as a household schedule reminder, not as a request for medical advice. We do not diagnose conditions or recommend treatments. We match caregivers to the practical help you describe.

If several relatives will share decision-making, it helps to have one main contact. That keeps the 72-hour clock moving and avoids mixed instructions later.

Step 2: We Translate Your Notes Into a Care Profile

Step 2 turns your intake notes into a care profile that lists tasks, hours, setting, and the kind of presence the household needs. A care profile is an internal snapshot we use to search, not a medical record and not a diagnosis.

Typical profile items include morning and evening routines, meal help, transportation, companionship, personal care tasks such as bathing or dressing, overnight needs, and whether a live-in schedule is being considered. We also note household preferences such as a quiet demeanor, experience with memory changes, or comfort with a busy family home.

This step is where families often realize they need more than one type of help. Companion support and hands-on personal care can sit in the same plan. Overnight or round-the-clock coverage can be added if the profile shows safety gaps at night.

Step 3: We Match Skills, Availability, and Personality

Step 3 is the actual match: we compare your care profile with caregivers who are available inside the 72-hour window and who already have the skills your household needs. Availability is only one filter. We also look at experience with similar routines, comfort in the home setting you described, and a working style that will not clash with the person receiving care.

We do not send a random name from a large list. We shortlist people whose schedules can cover the first shifts and whose background fits the tasks in the profile. If memory support is part of the request, we prioritize caregivers who are used to repeating instructions, slowing the pace of a day, and keeping familiar cues in place.

If no single person can cover every hour you asked for, we will say so and outline a shared schedule rather than force a poor fit. Honesty at this step protects the rest of the 72 hours.

Step 4: You Review the Match and Meet the Caregiver

Step 4 is your review: we present the proposed caregiver, explain why that person was chosen, and arrange an introduction before ongoing care is confirmed. You should hear about relevant experience, typical shift pattern, and how the first visits will be structured.

The introduction can be in the home, by phone, or by video, depending on urgency and what the family prefers. Use this meeting to watch how the caregiver speaks with your relative, not only how they speak with you. Ask about mornings, meals, and what they do when someone is anxious or tired.

If the match does not feel right, say so during this step. A second match can still fall inside the 72-hour window when we know early that the first introduction was not a fit. The process is built for a confirmed introduction, not for locking a family into the first name they hear.

Step 5: Care Starts and We Stay in Contact

Step 5 is the start of care: once you accept the match, the caregiver begins the agreed schedule and we remain the point of contact for changes, backups, and questions. The first shifts usually follow the routine you described in Step 1 so the person at home is not asked to learn a brand-new day all at once.

Early visits are a good time to write down what works. Small notes about wake-up time, favorite chair, or how to offer a shower without a struggle help the match succeed. If needs change after a hospital discharge, a fall, or a new overnight concern, we update the care profile instead of starting over from zero.

Families can later expand into respite hours for the primary family caregiver or into longer coverage if the original plan was only a few visits a week. The 72-hour process is how the first match is made. Ongoing scheduling is how that match is kept useful.

How Matching Works When Memory Support Is Needed

When memory support is part of the request, we match a caregiver who can keep daily life familiar, repeat cues calmly, and help with routines rather than quiz the person about what they forget. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, and many families come to matching after memory and thinking changes begin to affect bathing, meals, or being left alone. The CDC overview of Alzheimer's disease and dementia describes those changes in plain language for families who want a public-health explanation, not a diagnosis from us.

We still do not diagnose Alzheimer's disease or any other condition. We match to the tasks and safety needs you report. That can include companionship, personal care, and a steadier daytime presence so a spouse or adult child can rest.

Some families also want independent information about research centers. The National Institute on Aging maintains a locator for NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. That resource is separate from our matching process and is not an endorsement of our service. You can use both: clinical information from a research center if you want it, and a caregiver match at home for day-to-day help.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the 72-hour caregiver matching process work?

It works in five steps: you share who needs care, we build a care profile, we match a caregiver with the right skills and hours, you review and meet that person, and care starts on the agreed schedule. The sequence is designed to reach a confirmed introduction within 72 hours of first contact.

What information should we have ready before we start?

Have a short picture of a typical day, preferred hours, the home setting, mobility or personal-care needs, language preferences, and whether memory changes are part of the picture. You do not need a medical diagnosis from us, and you should not wait for a perfect written care plan before you inquire.

Can we meet the caregiver before ongoing care begins?

Yes. Step 4 is an introduction so you can see how the caregiver communicates and whether the person at home is comfortable. Care is confirmed after that review, not before you have a chance to ask questions.

What if the first match is not the right fit?

Tell us during the introduction step. A poor personality fit, a schedule conflict, or discomfort in the home is a reason to present another caregiver. The process is meant to produce a working match, not to insist on the first name we send.

Do you match caregivers for Alzheimer's-related needs at home?

Yes. We match to the daily help you describe, including memory support at home, companionship, and personal care. We do not diagnose Alzheimer's disease. For a general public-health explanation of Alzheimer's and dementia, families can read the CDC overview linked above.

Is the matching process different in Seattle than in other cities?

No. Families in any city use the same 72-hour steps. If you want local orientation first, open our Seattle care guide and then begin the same intake, profile, match, introduction, and start-of-care sequence described on this page.

What if we need help right after a hospital stay?

Say so in Step 1 so the care profile includes discharge timing, new mobility limits, and the hours you need covered first. Matching still follows the same 72-hour sequence. We focus the first shifts on getting home routines stable rather than on medical treatment, which remains the role of the person's own clinicians.